There's Always A Light
by Shneiderman
Summary: A reimagining of Lilo & Stitch and its sequels. In deep space, a revolution made of genetic creations mercilessly attacks the expansive Galactic Federation. Sensing betrayal by their creators, a small band of revolutionaries breaks away, only for one to find himself stranded on Earth, where a lonely young girl gives him a far greater victory than the one he was fighting for.
1. (For one of my Lights)

For Dennis

I'm sorry we never got to have that game of crib

Hopefully this will make up for that


	2. Precipitation

They were late. It wasn't like them to be late, they were almost always here by now. Even on the rare occasions that they were tardy, it never stretched past half an hour. She stood in the barren concrete yard in front of her school, underneath the roof's overhang to shield herself from the hammering rain, gripping her undying hope that her two favorite people would appear at any moment. She had a warmth in her stomach like a soothing campfire, as she thought of the terrifying fictions her father recited some nights; they were always best on rainy nights. His stories were absolutely blood-curdling, enough to make her lose sleep some nights, which she figured was why he didn't often tell them during the week. One of her favorites was about several friends reminiscing of an ominous and disturbing luau from their youth, only to discover it may never have existed at all. Despite how intimidating his stories were, there were fewer things more exciting than that sort of fear; the kind she felt with her family. The man himself and his wife should've been here by now, though, and it was this thought that doused the campfire within her like the rain. She was now beginning to wish she had adopted her mother's patience. The young girl was often befuddled when others did things like extend a middle finger at other drivers on the road, but was always comforted by her mother's optimism. "We just need to keep looking ahead," she had said during one such an event. "As long as we can focus on what's right, we can get wherever we want to go,"

They would be here at any moment. They would return to their humble home at the end of the golden beach, prepare some hot chocolate, and take in another delightfully gruesome tale. It was destined; nothing could prevent it. She held onto that truth, knowing in her heart that any doubt was a creation of her own wild brain. Rain was a rarity in this country, though once in the comforting warmth of her own home became a welcome departure from the beautiful and typical sun. She peered through the blindfold of rainfall that stretched on for eternity, hoping to catch a glimpse of her favorite people's approaching vehicle, blue like the tranquil sea that neighbored their home. There was nothing, however, but a small parade of flashing red lights, accompanied by a series of sirens attempting to drown out the sound of the crashing rain. She thought nothing of her findings for a whole minute, and then her eyes widened in a realization more stomach-turning than any description in her father's stories. Though she lacked an umbrella, let alone a proper raincoat, the young girl darted out of the overhang's protection and after the parade of lights. She possessed no particular talent in walking or running, yet they were still actions of enjoyment for her, thus the two blocks she travelled were child's play for her. The true challenge awaited at her destination, where she found the most appalling and unbelievable sight anyone could witness, as the red lights now surrounded a large, metallic mess in the middle of the dampened street. One half of the mess was a sickly, pale green, while the other was blue like the tranquil sea that neighbored her home.


	3. Birth

Chapter 1:  
>Birth<p>

**I**

The soldier darted down the endless hallway as quickly as his booted, two-toed feet would carry him. He could feel the warmth of his panicked breath on his spearhead-shaped face, thanks to the tough, metal helmet that encased it. His gloved palms were sweaty as all six fingers gripped his yellow blaster in terror. He forced his brain to think of reaching the nearest intercom, and report to Captain Gantu to send for backup, and not of the intensity of the violence he had witnessed beforehand. The intercom had barely entered his line of vision from around the corner, next to a large, circular door, when his armored neck was gripped from behind by something with alarming flexibility and malicious strength. Though the plates of armor had been upgraded many times of the years to be impervious to such chokeholds, the electricity that delivered his painful death was something the Federation has not yet found a counter to.

"Private Disken, was it?" The 221st of currently 625 monstrous 'Experiments' began, placing a three-toed foot on Disken's idle back, speaking with what he heard as a strong Cockney British accent. He rested an elbow on the parallel knee, and used a clawed hand to scratch behind his vasiform ears. His two lengthy antennae removed themselves from the soldier's neck, gold like the rest of him, up until the final few inches, where they were stained crimson. The red had begun drying well before it had touched the officer. "Well, Dis-Ken-t get any worse for you, can it, eh?" His elliptical head stretched an evilly satisfied smirk, until something from behind called for the attention of his sky blue eyes. It was the sound of his ally's feet striking the floor again and again. "I nearly thought you weren't coming, 624,"

"I nearly thought you'd run off and done everything yourself," 624 sarcastically retorted. The coral-colored Experiment slowed as she approached her electrokinetic comrade, scratching the end of a cannular ear with one of two soggy, red hands, and her two similarly multicolored antennae dangling neatly behind her oviform head. She rolled her inky eyes when 221 called her a slowpoke. "Well, sorry that I can't fly. Come on; let's just get behind this door and see if everyone else has gotten there yet." She gestured towards the door by the untouched intercom.

"Lucky I got Disken when I did, huh?" 221 began, as he and his chipper ally forced the door open like a sheet of paper with their own brute strength. "Nearly made it to that intercom. You think soon they'll start having their handheld radios communicate as far as those intercoms? That way people won't end up in poor, old Disken's situation?"

"Disk—oh, that guy!" 624 shook her head in amusement at her own confusion. "Yeah, well, it'd sure be smart on their part, but it'd make it more of a pain in the ass for us, wouldn't it? Having waves upon waves of backup just constantly coming at us." They each chucked away their severed portion of the door. "Not to mention Captain frickin' Gantu,"  
>"Honestly, if that giant sod did pop up, we'd at least have a shot at offing him,"<br>"Touche. 621 especially would be through the roof,"  
>"No, no, he'd have Gantu be the one through the roof,"<br>624 chuckled. "Anyway, ladies first." She bowed flamboyantly.

"…Aren't you one of those?" The electrician responded, unamused, as they both entered the short hallway that now lay ahead.  
>"Oh, you noticed?!"<br>"Yeah, so why are you insulting me by calling me a 'lady' if you're one?"  
>"Because…Shut up,"<br>"So are you calling 149 a lesbian?"  
>"No, why? Isn't she both?"<br>"Well, she _was _with 177 before she was with me, you know?"  
>"I know. Not sure what she saw in her, though." The perky Experiment then received a small jolt when 221's head was suddenly graced with the impact of a falling, metal ceiling tile.<p>

"Ooh, sorry, hun!" A southern voice called from above. Another friend appeared from a hole in the ceiling that the tile once occupied. Her fur was the same green as grass, and nearly every part of her; head, hands, feet, height, was only half the size of her two comrades. The only exceptions were her ears, which seemed an average length between those of her golden and pink allies. 149 crawled onto the ceiling, her total eight fingers and six toes gripping the inverted surface as if of their own accord, before dropping down, landing gracefully on her feet. She stroked her companion's head gently. "You OK? I didn't hit ya too hard, did I?"

"Nah, just a bit of ceiling, nothing major, babe," 221 reassured her. "Could you kiss it better, though? Just to be safe?" He lowered his noggin down to his lover, who rolled her dark blue eyes before going over it with her tongue.

"Bullseye, 149!" 624 joked.  
>"You been teasing my sugarcube, 624?" Her nimble comrade responded.<br>"…Maybe a little,"  
>"Good, might teach the big baby to toughen up, so he doesn't need his 149 to kiss his booboos better!" She grabbed 221 in a headlock, noogeying his furry head.<p>

"Aw, but I thought you liked licking the sugar off your sugarcube," The smart-mouthed Experiment joked, with one of his bloodied antennae coiling around 149's ankle like a playful serpent. As the couple wasted time, another, another comrade descended from the gap in the ceiling. If 149 was small compared to the others, then this one was like a tower. He was an olive green, with a broad chin and more meat on his bones than his allies. What stood out the most, however, was the mechanical device, like a cannon, that existed in the place of his left hand.

"We've disconnected all forms of contact to anything outside this ship. We won't have to worry about anyone using an inter—" 150 landed perfectly on his feet, though when he looked up, he was both confused and annoyed to see what two of his three other allies were doing.

"Uh, guys?" 624 clapped her hands, and the two embracing Experiments looked up, 149 maintaining her headlock, and 221 with his antennae still hugging his girlfriend's foot. "See, we still need to get the, uh, the thingy, in the, uh, the place." The pink Experiment lazily gestured towards the door in front of them. "150, could you?"

"Hm?...Oh! Sure!" 150 had still been distracted by the embracing, though once he was back in reality, his cannon hand split apart to release a set of metallic fingers, wet with some blood, which punched the door out of the wall like a hole-puncher through paper.

"Thank you!" She chirped, shooting her thumb straight into the air, and beaming like the sun at 150, who gave but a shy shimmer of light back. "Alright, let's see if 300 and 621 have made it yet!"

"You know I'm seven years older than you, right?" 149 called back, as she and 221 pulled out the hole in the door.

"Eyup!" 624 called sarcastically back. She turned to an uncomfortably silent 150. "Hey." She gently nudged her pensive ally to get his attention. "You OK, bud?"  
>"Yeah, yeah, I'm just…I'm fine, don't worry,"<br>"You sure?" Her voice lowered to something of a whisper. "Because you didn't sound fine when I last saw you." No response, just the same glum, pensive look. "Why don't you talk to her about it when we get back to base? At least she'll know, and she won't be accidentally making you feel left out,"  
>"…I could try; I guess…I don't have the way with words that she does. I might just sound like a hopeless romantic,"<br>"Well, at least try. You really shouldn't let this bubble inside you more than it already has. We all need to stay focused on our goal, I don't want you to get distracted,"  
>"I know, I just…I just want to find the right words for it, is all,"<br>"Maybe try saying something like—"  
>"No, no, I want it to be my words she hears,"<br>"Oh, yeah, that's OK,"

"There we are!" The electrician chirped when the door was completely removed. "Onward, then!" The four Experiments marched confidently to the finale of their mission.

"Don't worry." 624 jumped onto her mellow colleague's shoulder and ruffled his hair. "You'll get through it. I know you will,"

"Oh, so you two are allowed to muck around, huh?" Their nimble and ignorant accomplice called back.

"Hey, at least we're not on the verge of creating a mini-Experiment on a Federation ship," 624 retorted.

"SIT BACK DOWN!" The Experiments had grown used to this one's fury. They found one of the darkest shade of green, with white fur on his head in the shape of a Mohawk, which sat just above a pair of miniscule antennae, nothing like his subtler allies possessed. Beneath his shoulders, nearer his waist, were another identical pair of limbs. Each hand gripped a yellow blaster of some sort; the lower two his pistols and the higher a rifle. He wore a thick belt on his back, between the three dark, disgusting spikes that protruded from it, which held several other blasters not currently in use. Experiment 621 forced a standing guard back into his previous kneeling position with the butt of his rifle. He then began slowly pacing across the row of five kneeling guards he had somehow assembled. "Now, you're all going to sit there while I take this thing away from you." He pointed a clawed hand towards the long, red, cannon-like machine in the middle of the room, smoking from its barrel and surrounded by shelves upon shelves of other weapons. "First person who tries anything stupid gets to be target practice. I might even use your new cannon, assuming it can singe through that armor." His threats were heard to the guards as little more than alien gibberish, yet his furious tone was enough for them to understand him. 621 turned away, ready to lift the weapon from the ground, until he saw his four allies. "Oh, good, you're here. I've found the cannon—"

"Really? I hadn't noticed," The electrician joked. 621 was unamused.

"I've found the cannon," The angry Experiment continued. "So if you could help me in getting it back to our pod,"

"Yeah, yeah, sure." 149 and the others each wrapped their hands around a portion of the cannon, but before they could lift it, they were interrupted by an uncannily familiar voice, and an even more familiar figure approaching.

"Oh, good, you're all already here," Someone who was the spitting image of the gun-toting Experiment, aside from being even more bloodied than any of the others and his hands with death grips on his firearms, approached them from behind one of the many shelves. "Good work, 300." He said when he saw the cowering guards.

"I should hope so," The first 621's voice was now one as deep as an abyss. His body shifted into a blob of pale cyan with no particular shape, and, apart from the watery shifting of his body, had no features aside from his flaxen eyes, which seemed as though they could instantly turn their audience to ice. "You should be proud; the minds of these men contain a plethora of horrific rumors about your...Methods,"

"Apparently." One guard stood up to run in the opposite direction, only to have the marksman shoot him flawlessly in the back. The green Experiment stuck the blaster back in his gunbelt as the guard fell to the floor, and all the others whimpered. "Anyway, I've activated the ship's suicide procedure, but it won't go off for fifteen minutes, so we've plenty of time. We'll be able to get this thing back to the pod, maybe use it to 'burn any tissue', as they describe it, that might turn up, assuming there's any left."

"You and your shooting fetish, 621," The smallest Experiment muttered, as everyone hoisted the cannon up, though 624 and 221 wound up being the only ones needed to support it. "Had yourself a little run-in, did you?"

"I handled it," Was the grumpy and immediate reply. "As I'm sure you all handled your respective ends,"

"Leave him alone, 149," The pink Experiment whispered to her, even quieter than she had spoken to 150. "Come on, you know he's having a difficult time,"

"Ah, yeah, right," She responded in an equally quiet tone. "Sorry,"

"Oy, what's comin' first?" Their electrokinetic comrade impatiently called. "The Grand Councilwoman and Gantu popping up, or us draggin' our asses out of here?"

"Patience, 221," The shapeshifter scolded gently, as he knew his tone and gaze were already capable of attracting attention from his comrades. "You do recall the last instance when you were too hasty in your duties,"

"Yeah, yeah," 221 muttered, as he scratched his nose uncomfortably. Almost immediately afterwards, one of the cowering soldiers snatched a random gun off the nearest shelf, and fired at 221's foot. As the Experiment dropped to the floor, his cry of pain harmonizing with the clanging of the dropped end of the cannon, 621 drew his own blaster and shot the foolishly brave guard in the face. After that one fell motionless to the floor, the other three quickly followed suit when the marksman decided to give them a similar fate. "PATIENCE, HE SAID!" The victim shouted in agony, gripping his ankle, and his foot coated in a sickly, green wound. "YOU MIGHT HURT YOURSELF, HE SAID!"

"Hey, it ain't 300's fault, buzzy!" 149 quickly knelt by her partner and tried to help him to his one good foot. "I mean, did you really need to have a right foot?!"  
>"Yes, hardy-har, my little honeypot," Through clenched teeth. When he was vertical again, he held his hands out as they transformed into thin streaks of golden energy, levitating him off of the ground.<br>"You sure you're OK to fly, 221? I really don't mind carrying you!"  
>"Nah, thanks, I—NNF!-…I can do it…"<br>"Alright, well, if you feel like you can't go any longer, just fall and I'll catch you. OK?" She held her arms outwards, even though her ally did not seem likely to fall soon. "C'mon, guys, let's get goin' so 10 can look at 221's foot,"

"That was a plasma gun, wasn't it?" The metal-handed Experiment inquired, as he took the fallen end of the cannon, with everyone following them towards the exit.

"Yes, it was," 300 answered, his blob-like body flowing along the floor like liquid. "The Federation's still stocking up on them..." He noticed 621's eyes narrowing when he mentioned the event.

**II**

"Alright, let's get ya to 10, now," 149 said hurriedly when the group had returned to base, shaped from the outside like an enormous, metal basket, nearly the same color as the blackness of space. The combined, bustling voices of their 616 allies created a close echo of gibberish. With her lover in her arms, she carried him quickly down the grim, grey hallway after the small docking bay, ready to turn right to the medical wing. 624 and 150 followed after her, while 621 removed his gunbelt, and 300 approached a miniature screen on the nearest grey wall.

"We have returned, Doctor Jumba," The shapeshifter said to the screen, which quickly displayed a plump, indigo image, sporting four eyes across his face. "The ship is ashes, and the weapon that singed 601 is on our pod; 621 and I are about to put it in the armory. Unfortunately, an enemy's plasma weapon got 221's foot. He is being taken to 10 right now, so at least we can expect him back with us before long,"

"Excellent work, 300!" Jumba replied enthusiastically, speaking with a thick Russian accent. "Oh, and make sure 221 knows I told him 'get well soon.' Yes, let's hope 10 can have him back on that foot before too long. He is our best medic, after all,"  
>"He is our only one, sir,"<br>"Yes, well, he's such a great one, why stress him with another,"  
>"Because there is no need for divided work just yet, sir,"<br>"Anyway, anyway, your latest assignment only further displays the Federation's taking advantage of their newfound knowledge of your plasma vulnerability. Since the incident, it seems we're getting more and more injuries every other mission, and it's becoming increasingly inconvenient,"

"Increasingly..." The marksman muttered coldly and near silently, his back to his creator and his body focused on punching in an unlock code to the armory.

"Indeed." The shapeshifter heard his ally like an owl, though he said nothing, as he knew too well it was more than justified. "Please forgive my inquiry, sir, but what are the chances of the 626th or later of us having immunity to plasma?"

"Actually, I'm quite glad you did 'inquire' that, 300!" Jumba was suddenly ecstatic again. "Very next one who comes down to your end, shooting plasma at him will be like drowning a Silurian,"  
>"Well…" The telepath gave a smile to some good news. "Much more useful than 625, then. Perhaps that taxing supply run at Welker Industries will prove worthwhile. When might Number 626 arrive?"<br>"Oh, soon, curious little one." Jumba leaned shortly and awkwardly to his left as he spoke. Though 300 retained his warm smile, the disguised intensity of his eyes noticed the quadruple-eyed face turn a small shade whiter. "Should help to prevent losses like 501 and 502,"  
>"Yes, I would—"<p>

"Or you could've just not killed them!" 621 sternly called back before storming into the unlocked armory.

"Hm, 621's still pulling through it," Jumba said softly. He found the telepath's gaze had returned to him, now frigid, though his body seemed as stolid as a lake. "It was a precaution, so if something happened to them like what eventually did, they could at least have a final victory over the Federation for you!"  
>"I know why you programmed them that way," 300 began, his tone like a whip, cracked for attention as opposed to harm. "621 doesn't agree with it, and that's to be expected, especially considering how that 'final victory' did not claim Captain Gantu,"<br>"Yes, yes, of course…" The scientist was pensive with a porky hand on his chin for a moment. "Speaking of which, I'd best return to work, now. Keep an eye on 621, if you could,"  
>"Two eyes." The shapeshifter was low and soft. "It's the least I can do for him." He glanced down the ajar armory door, which displayed a sight of the marksman's back, and his Mohawk-shaped head fur hiding behind his neck. "...And for them,"<p>

**III**

"10, ya got a sec?!" 149 called hurriedly into the medical ward after she'd bolted past it's door.

"OH! Crud!" A voice only so squeaky on similar occasions jolted in response. "I'll be right back, 258!" A bright green figure came bolting down between the two rows of egg-shaped beds, only four of which were inhabited. As he ran, his cloth-like ears flopped vertically and the three fins along his scalp wobbled horizontally. The trunk he had for a nose curled upwards as he approached the couple, as if another arm, extending inquisitively towards them. "What happened, 221?!"

"My foot ticked off the wrong guy," The limping creature cracked through clenched teeth, sweating despite his brief moment of wit.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, I see!" The medic's claws, as thick as talons, seemed to be caught in a melee close to his stomach. "Can you climb into this one, over here?"

"Sure, sure, let me just..." 221 attempted to mount the closest bed by himself, though his companion had to help him with lower body once his rear was in place.

"Right, now, 149, think you could go to the front and get me the blue cylinder on the shelf?" 10 requested, as he inspected the wound, his fuzzy hands hovering over it like vigilant doves.

"Blue cylinder, got it!" The nimble Experiment almost immediately darted for the shelf in question, positioned just by the door where they came in, and supporting a dark rainbow of metal, cylindrical containers. Just as she picked up the blue one, 624 and 150 darted into the room.

"He alright?!" The metal-handed Experiment blurted.

"Y-J-Just hold on a second!" The trunked medic stammered as 149 handed him the cylinder. He unscrewed it quickly and let a small amount of the similarly colored, creamy contents pour onto the remaining plasma. Like water down a drain, the boiling projectile began to dissolve at a reasonable rate. 10 gently rubbed the medicine in with a soft finger. "Right, you can talk to him if you want, while I get some bandages," He offered his temporary assistant as he scooted past her.

"That gloppy stuff workin'?" She asked softly, stepping next to her electric friend and scratching gently behind his dish-like ear.  
>"Yeah, I'm feeling some improvement...You weren't worried, were ya, babe?"<br>"Nah, I wasn't worried." She saw that 221 was faking a hurt expression. "Oh, quit bein' such a baby!" She playfully ruffled up the fur on his head.  
>"Ah, I can't help it, 149! Can ya really blame me?" His antennae curled around the rowdy Experiment's waist.<br>"Well, at the very least, you're my big baby," She purred as she leaned in for a hug, her nose meeting his.  
>"Ow, ow!"<p>

"Sorry, sorry!" 10 stammered, looking up from his bandaging of 221's foot, which he had rested on a short, metal block with a pit for the Experiment's heel. "I just need you to hold still for a moment,"

"Just keep your hands to yourselves for ten seconds," Their plucky, pink accomplice added.

"Aw, put a cork in it, 624!" 149's friendly smile and tone showed that there was no offence taken or intended. "Ya can't really say you don't expect us to do all this mushy stuff, can ya? You never know if you'll have someone to cuddle in bed when their foot gets shot,"

"Well, after our last new arrival, I'd take anything," 624 muttered. Not long after, the door was flung open once more, surprising 10 enough to send a thin, crimson streak flying out of the end of his trunk. "Oh, speak of the devil,"

"WOAH, 10! Save the lasers for surgery, eh?!" In marched another supposed comrade, with ears like a dog's, and teeth poking out from beneath his upper lip, as if they were once as a walrus', but had been strategically removed. His gut sagged out like it was imprisoning another living creature. "Hey, get me a sandwich goin', will ya?!" He spoke with a strong Brooklyn accent, contributing to the rambunctious arrogance in his voice.

"I-In a bit, 625!" The medic called back, nearly finished his work.

"Oh, c'mon, it'll only be a minute!" The plump Experiment persisted, before noticing 10's task-at-hand. "How'd you manage this, 221?"

"Uh, plasma..." The patient tried to hide his annoyance. "Whatcha want, 625?"

"I said; a sandwich, soon as 10 stops taking his own sweet time on your busted feet," 625 slapped a hand on 10's shoulder, earning a meek and high-pitched reaction.

"I'm sure your black hole-gut can wait for 221's 'busted feet,'" The smallest Experiment sharply retorted.

"Oh, I don't know..." The slob seemed to be turning an unsettling crimson color. "C'mon, 10, finish up!"

"I-I'm nearly done, 625!"

"No, no, take your time, 10!" 624 called. Everyone now found her standing further down the row, as though she'd snuck away guilefully. Her antennae now seemed to be hidden behind her. "You've got much more important things to do, don't ya?"

"You're, uh, you're bein' pretty smart over there, hotstuff," The porky Experiment's attention turned ominously towards 624.  
>"Being smart's good, though," The plucky Experiment responded. "Being smart means you can think, and if you can think, you can think about how to respect your comrades,"<br>"Well, it'd be easier for me if my 'comrades' were a little nicer." The slob approached her now, his feet hitting the floor like heavy sacks of flour.  
>"And, maybe, just a teensy-tiny possibility..." 624 created such a size between her dry crimson index finger and thumb. "That's 'cause you haven't put much effort into earning it,"<br>"Ah, I can start anytime!" His arms now wrapped uncomfortably low around her. "No big deal,"  
>"Well, just a heads-up, I'd start right now if I were you." Her annoyance was well-hidden underneath a peaceful mask.<br>"Oh? And what happens if I don't?" His bright, mud-colored hands tightened. Mere seconds later, 625 was tardy in registering a pink hidden third arm, prepared to chop at his collarbone. At the very least, without the chop's help, he was still able to stumble back, tumble over an empty bed, and hit his head on the hard, metal floor. The porky Experiment's view could not display it, but 624 was giving an amused smirk, as the new arm returned back inside of her waist. "Alright, I've just about had it with you!"

"So have I!" 150 picked up the annoyance by a large tuft of brown fur on his back, letting him dangle like a furious, thrashing plastic bag. "You're getting a time-out, Mister Personal Bubble,"

"Put me down, you overweight trog! Don't make me report to Dr. Jumba!" 625 complained and threatened, thrashing his arms about, even bringing out two hidden arms of his own. He objected up until he was plopped outside the door, which was promptly slammed shut after him.

"Who's he calling 'overweight?'" The towering Experiment muttered, marching back to 221's bedside.

"Good on ya, bud." Their bed-ridden ally held his thumb into the air.

"That's my boy!" 149 nudged him playfully on his machine-free arm. "See? You're not such a big softie after all!"

"Yep, I don't know why I ever said that," 150 muttered, only partly honest, turning red as his nimble friend leaped on his shoulder to ruffle his feathery head fur.

"Hey, 150?" 624 called warmly. The metal-handed Experiment looked down to find her offering him a ham sandwich, stacked neatly on its plate, as though designed for display instead of for eating. "I made this for you for fun and for something else, but now you could say it's for that just now,"

"Oh...Thanks, 624." 150 accepted the snack, unwilling to reference one of the initial reasons around a certain someone.

"No problem, bud," The pair of pink antennae hovered over her head, balancing two more equally presentable sandwiches. "Just made a couple for you guys while the gentleman wasn't looking." She took the two plates in her hands, and then handed one to 221. "For our patient, who always works his hardest..." The next one was handed to 10. "And for our best medic,"  
>"But I'm your only medic," He replied, after using his trunk to create another hot streak to cut the cast free from the larger roll of bandages.<br>"Ah, well, even if we did have more, you'd still be the best." She playfully ruffled the circular fins on the physician's head.

"You're, uh, bein' pretty nice to everyone, huh, 624?" 149 wisecracked, making her boyfriend chuckle, 10 turn bright red, and 150 turn his head, but nothing from the joke's recipient.

"Well, yeah," The perky Experiment was calm; her warm expression was hardly moved by the crude remark. "625 barged in demanding a sandwich, and I got the idea to make some for these guys to piss him off, but 150 tossed him out before he could see,"

"Thanks for getting the Earthly ones, too," The electrician added. "They're the best,"

"Too true," 624 concurred. "Ever tried an Irken sandwich?" She held her nose between two bloody fingers.

"Aw, well that's sweet of you," The small, rowdy Experiment replied. "None for me, though?"  
>"You told me you try to keep skinny, though," Was the sincere response. "You said it makes you all light and stealthy,"<br>"Ya couldn't offer me something, at least?"  
>"Alright; would you like something to eat, 149?"<br>"Nah, but thanks for askin',"  
>"...And you say I'm cheeky,"<p>

"I've gotta say, you two are superb at entertaining the bed-ridden," Their wounded comrade cracked through a mouthful.

"Well, least we can do for the slacker getting some time off," 149 cheerfully joked back, taking a bite out of the back end of 221's sandwich, at the same time as he took another.

"Oh, for Pete's sake..." 624 muttered, rolling her eyes, but smiling nonetheless. "Bunch of kids, eh, 150?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," The largest of them chuckled, trying his best to play along. "They keep on going, you might have to use your hypno-song thingy just to keep them still around the rest of us,"

"...Ooooooooooooor I could not..." The pink Experiment replied, friendly yet stern at once.  
>"Oh, sorry,"<br>"It's OK, bud." 624 playfully nudged him with her shoulder.  
>"No harm done, right?" He only smiled in response.<br>"...C'mon, eat up." She gently tapped his belly twice, whereupon his massive jaw took away half of the sandwich. The perky Experiment turned to the medic, and found him nibbling softly away at his sandwich like a rabbit. "How is it, 10?"

"Oh...It's delicious, thank you," He seemed as though he'd been yanked from some unsettling land just above his head.  
>"Something on your mind?"<br>"...It's, um..." The physician found his friend leaning in, allowing him to continue at a comfortably decreased volume. "...625 was touching you again,"  
>She sighed softly before continuing. "Yeah, he was,"<br>"I hate when he does that to you; he knows you don't like it. He hardly ever does it to anyone else, just to you. Why does he do such...Insensitive things to you?"  
>"He's just the kind of person who wants a lot, but doesn't want to work for it. He just thinks he should get it right away, and he gets all cranky when nobody gives it to him,"<br>"Hm...Our Uprising isn't like that, is it?"  
>"No, no, of course not. The Federation are a bunch of selfish trogs, and we're working each day to stamp them out, so we can make it the way it should be.<br>"Oh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense,"  
>"...Right, well, 150 and I should wash up." She stood up, gesturing to her metal-handed ally, asking if he was going to stay. After wiping crumbs from his chin, 150 responded by moving up with her. "Oh, and 10?" She turned back, a hand playfully rustling the appendages on his head.. "You're not just our best medic, you're also a great friend." With that, she left a reddening 10 and headed with 150 to the exit. "Get well soon, 221!"<p>

"Thanks!" The bed-ridden Experiment called. "Try not to miss me too much!"

"Oh, it'll be hard; you're the most fun to tease." Then the door was shut, and the three Experiments were left to themselves.

"...Right!" The medic stood up straight and clapped his clawed hands together. "You'll just stay here for a while, 221, and I'll clean the blood off of you and check on your foot regularly to see how it's doing,"

"Oh, really?" The patient cheekily began. "I thought you'd just be checking on it for your own reasons." He received a chuckle from his girlfriend and a shy smirk from his caretaker.

Cheeky remarks, flirty quips, and kind reassurance was passed amongst the three Experiments. The focus of their conversation prevented them from noticing an unfamiliar figure passing down the column. His body was much like that belonging to 621 and 624; he even had a similar pair of small antennae and three back spikes of the troubled marksman. His fur was the same blue as the planet Earth's dark ocean. His lingering ears flowed past his skull's tip, and were notched at the end in a strangely fitting manner.

"Hey..." The creature said when he had finally reached his three predecessors. They were all silenced, and turned to the new arrival. They had heard the voice of a boy, though they knew it would quickly become the voice of a man. "I'm the newest one..." The creature continued, less timid than 10 but more so than 150. "I'm number 626..."


	4. 626

Chapter 2:  
>626<p>

**I**

"OH! Welcome, welcome, 626-"10's face turned entirely crimson after he'd begun shaking the newcomer's hand like a rubber chicken. He immediately slowed down once he'd realized what he was doing. "I'm, uh, I'm E-Experiment n-number, uh, number-"

"This is Number 010," 149 moved next to her stammering friend.

"Yeah, yeah, I-I'm Number 010,"

"But most of us like to call him 10,"

"Yeah, they do, yeah. I'm the, uh, the...The..."

"10's our medic, looks after us when we're too hurt to go into the field for a while,"

"Yeah, that's right, I...I'm the medic,"

"OK," It took the newborn Experiment some time to respond, confused by the flow of the conversation. "So you're the tenth, and I'll come to you if I, like, get a broken bone or something?"

"Uh, yes, yes, that's what you'd do," The physician reassured him, wiping his moist, green brow.

"Actually, someone else would probably do the 'bringing-you-here' part," The short Experiment added. "I did, with my one-footed boyfriend over there." She pointed a thumb back to 221. "Oh, sorry, I'm Number 149,"

"Alright, so; 10, 149..." 626 counted off the Experiments in front of him, until he landed on the horizontal one with a bandaged foot on a short, metal block.

"I'm the one-million-two-thousand-three-hundred-and-fourty-fifth Experiment!" 221 joked. The youngest Experiment seemed unamused, although the blood that clumsily polka dotted the Experiment's antennae escaped his interest. "Alright, I'm Number 221. Sorry the first time you see me has to be like this,"

"Yeah..." 626 slowly approached the foot of his golden comrade's bed. "How'd this happen to you?"

"Oh, we were all trying to carry a weapon away, and someone 621 had lined up pulled out a plasma gun and shot me in the foot, of all people and body parts. Word of advice; watch out for plasma guns; big, chubby, red guns. That way, things like this and-"

"Plasma, you said?"  
>"Yes,"<br>"Yeah, uh, Dr. Jumba did some tests and, uh, apparently, that stuff doesn't hurt me,"  
>"Aw, no way, really?!"<p>

"Well, you're certainly shaping up fast," 149 complimented. "Guess you won't need to worry about coming to 10 at all, then,"

"If only you could've been made a little sooner," 221 continued. "Then that little sod might've shot your resistant foot, instead of my poor, vulnerable one,"

"Thanks...I think..." 626 muttered, unsure of how sincere the electrician was.

"EXPERIMENTS 149, 150, 300, 345, 621, 624, 626, REPORT TO THE LAUNCH DECK FOR DEBRIEFING!" Jumba's voice rang throughout the entirety of the base, giving the final individual a slight jump when his name was announced.

"Ah, here it is!" The shortest of them slapped an arm around 626. "Don't worry, blue, everyone's first assignment comes in barely after they've popped out. 221 here especially got a shock,"

"I-...Was that intentional?" 221 asked, smirking.

"...A little," Was the sleek reply. "Right, c'mon, new guy, you're with me." She gave a short nudge to the infant to get him moving along towards the exit. "You be good for Doctor 10, alright, sugarcube!" She called back to the electric Experiment.

"I'll try!" He called back.

"Good luck," 10 waved kindly to 626. The newcomer was able to extend a brief, timid wave back before the door was shut.

**II**

"...Hey, can I ask you a question, 941?" 626 asked as they approached the colorless launch deck. He gave a slight raise to his voice over the bustling throughout the base.  
>"149," She corrected<br>"149, sorry,"  
>"Sure. Whatcha wanna know?"<br>"So, we're supposed to be fighting this thing called the Galactic Federation, right?"  
>"Right..."<br>"Well, I know we do stuff like find ingredients for new ones of us, and, you know, attack places, but what I haven't got down just yet is what this Federation thing is, and why we have to fight it?"  
>"Ah, well, see, in the seemingly infinite confines of the universe..." She said this with a fake, low, educated tone. "There are different quadrants, and this quadrant is governed by the Galactic Federation,"<br>"Oh, so they tend to and water all the plants?"  
>"...'Governed', not 'gardened,'"<br>"Oop, sorry...They, like, make the rules, then?"  
>"Correct. And we're fighting it because, when we beat it, we'll get to do that, instead,"<br>"All of us?"  
>"Each and every one, in equal cooperation with Doc Jumba. He even created a new language between us and him,"<br>"Really? What is it?"  
>"You're talkin' it now,"<br>"...Oh, I get it!"  
>"Yyyyup,"<br>"So, uh, Jumba and us; we're gonna be the new governors together?"  
>"That's the plan,"<br>"Oh, cool. Awesome." 626 had only known life for mere hours, and yet he could not deny the appeal of authority and respect. His curiosity was peaked.  
>"Yeah. Unfortunately, one Captain Gantu likes to position political leaders in really hard-to-find places, like in the midst of all the military they send out to defend against us. It's like trying to find a potato in a head count of Sontarans,"<br>"...So they're hard to find?"  
>"...Yes. One of the things we're asked to do. Sometimes we get lucky, find the spot of a shady politician, and..." She made a cutting motion with her hand across her throat. "Grand Councilwoman's always been the hardest, though,"<br>"Oh? Is she, like, a main target?"  
>"Yeah, she's at the center of the Federation. If we got a hold of her, we pretty much win,"<br>"Right, got it, so-"

"NEWCOMER!" A high and playful voice was accompanied by the spontaneous appearance of a new face. The fur around it was bright green, like grass, though the area inside it was blank. Three floppy fins dangled from the upside-down Experiment's head, giving it the appearance of a jester's cap. His appearance had made 626 yelp and turn white, much like this Experiment's face, which was like a snowy mask. "Aw, sorry, 626, didn't mean to scare ya!" The Experiment's long stilts of legs stepped down from the ceiling, shortening in a rubber-like fashion so he was now level with his blue and green comrades. Now that the newest Experiment could get a proper look at him, he thought he would make an ideal clown. If only he had a large, red nose, instead of the smaller green one he was stuck with. "I'm Number Three-Four-Five-Six-Seven-Eight-Nine-Ten-"

"Cut it out, it's his first day!" Their rowdy ally playfully scolded.

"Alright, I'm Number 345," The Experiment correctly introduced himself, shaking 626's hand with both of his own even more enthusiastically than 10 had done. The blue Experiment couldn't help but notice the unorthodox way this creature's arms moved, like rubber bands being waved in the air. "Oh, that's just my superpower!" He had noticed 626's staring. The erratic Experiment promptly stretched both of his short arms to touch the wall four feet away from them. "Doc calls them 'Functions', but I think 'Superpowers' is cooler. Whatever suits you, though! Can't wait to see what yours is, 626!"

"Apparently, it's that plasma doesn't hurt him," 149 responded.

"No way, really?!" The clown's smile stretched even wider than 626 had predicted possible. "Well, that's absolutely, positively, one-hundred-and-fifty-one percent awesome!"

"Is everyone ready?" 300's familiarly trench-deep voice inquired from behind them. He, 150, 624, and 621 were already assembled and prepared for their debriefing.

"Oh, yes, yes, sorry." 345 stood aside so the others, all blood stains washed away like dirt, could see the new Experiment. "Everyone, this is Number 626, who's immune to plasma!"

"Ah, so you were right, 300," The pink Experiment smirked.

"Well, you sure got popular quickly," The metal-handed one observed.  
>"Don't everyone when they come out, though?" 149 cheerfully added.<br>"Ah...Yeah, I guess they do,"

The marksman seemed annoyed at the commotion, and so he turned to the massive screen. "We're all ready, sir," He spoke the last word with a note of disgust, like it was some ancient, rotten piece of food.

"Wonderful!" Jumba's image quickly appeared on the screen, either ignoring or oblivious to 621's tone. "I see you are all acquainted with Number 626 now." He waved his four sausages of fingers to the most recent arrival. "Not feeling pod-sick anymore?"

"Uh, no-Sir," The newcomer hurriedly replied. "I got off and walked into, uh, 10's medicine-y place, and met Numbers 010, 149, and 22...1!" He nearly forgot the name of the his wounded associate.  
>"Ha, ha, excellent! Now, I'm sure you'd like to get your first assignment, wouldn't you?"<br>"Oh, uh, yes, sir. Please, sir,"  
>"Heh, well, I think you'll all be thrilled by this. 258 and his group managed to leak some information regarding the Federation's current defensive maneuvers." He made a brief pause, as though some remarkable surprise were approaching. "This includes the position of Captain Gantu,"<p>

Every present Experiment's face lit up at the announcement; even 621 gave off a sinister flicker.

"...Awesome!" The blue Experiment threw a reluctant fist into the air, confused as to the sudden excitement.

"Oh, come on, get hyped!" His pink comrade encouraged him, smiling wide enough for her cheeks to push up on her lower eyelids.

"Right, um, 626, you know how big a deal it is that plasma doesn't hurt you?" The shortest began. She received a curt nod in response. "Offing Gantu is like that, and then a little more,"

"Thank you, 149," Jumba complimented. "One of the best and trickiest captains in the military. He's seen several political leaders escape our grasp, as well as some of our greatest failures..." He noticed The marksman's sinister smirk burn a little. "If we can eliminate him..." He ignored the Experiment's clawed fingers flexing twice, shaping quotations, to 626 during 'we.' "It would put the Federation at an enormous disadvantage,"

"Oh, OK," The newcomer nodded. "So, we're supposed to go over there and, uh..." He made a quick movement across his throat with his hand.

"Precisely, 626!" Jumba cheered. "You're well on your way to becoming a regular revolutionary! I've sent the coordinates to Pod #04; get to that ship, find him, and, as 626 put it..." He mimicked the new Experiment's hand motion. "Good luck, little ones," With that, the screen returned to it's initial, black state.

"So, uh..." 626 was somehow still confused. "Does he want us to do it in a specific way, or...?"

"Whatever works best," The shapeshifting blob replied. "Just don't turn off the oxygen field around the ship; if anyone is flying out into space, it should only be Gantu,"

"Right, everyone, let's get started!" The marksman interrupted, marching single-mindedly towards one of the ten circular hatches along the wall.

"...But I would advise..." The blob of an Experiment continued to an anxious 626. "That whatever you do, just let 621 do his work," He then followed his surly comrade. While the others followed suit, 626's feet seemed to cling to the metallic floor.

"Ya comin'?" 624 gave him a friendly nudge when they were the last to enter. Without a word, the blue Experiment moved into the pod so quickly, he seemed to have teleported. The resolute revolutionary rolled her black eyes before following him.

**III**

626 found himself in the most eastern part of the pod's rear seat. Next to him sat the Experiments with stretching abilities, one true hand, and a big mouth on a small body, while the rest sat in front. The silent 621 took the responsibility driving them through the dark field of stars and colourful planets of all sizes.

"Sorry about the cramp, Blue," 149 called down to their newcomer, noticing sweat on his furry brow. 626's attention was attracted more by the spontaneous nickname than anything else. "Regular missions are just six of us, but the Doc likes to add one more if a new guy's just come out,"

"Yeah, that makes sense..." The infant quietly blurted out.

"Plus, my partner here takes up a metric butt-ton of room,"

"I, uh-!" 150 had been caught off his guard. "Well, at least I know not to kick a metal tile on a comrade's head,"  
>"Oh, is that what you think, huh?!"<br>"...Yes," Was the stolid reply. The false-handed Experiment smiled at her as innocently as he could, praying that it was not turning scarlet.  
>"...Smartass," His small ally muttered. They both released a small chuckle while looking in different directions.<p>

"What? What was funny?" 345 inquired, genuinely curious.

"Nothing, stetchy," 624 called back. "149's just bein' childish, as usual,"

"Does the word 'childish' really apply to any of us?" 626 shyly questioned. "Dr. Jumba told me that he makes us, uh...I don't remember. 'Think like older people?'"

"You kids today!" His pink comrade joked in a withered, elderly voice. The newcomer only raised an eyebrow. 624 stood up and leaned over the seat to face him. "Yeah, he gives us older mentality," She explained, ignoring her previous jest. "Can't really have a rebellion made out of babies, can you?"  
>"Aren't some of us still technically babies, though?"<br>"Well-Ack, not baby-babies, I mean!" She sounded irritated, but her smile seemed like she was enjoying it, like it was a game. "But we're all older in here..." She pointed to her head. "Than we really should be. Still, some of us can be pretty 'childish', especially Mr. Elastico here." She nodded to the clown, who seemed almost honored by the statement.  
>"'Elastico'?" 626 was, again, confused by the constant nicknames.<br>"You know, like elastic..." The pink Experiment made a pulling motion between her hands, but this was still lost on the infant. She then reached further over, grabbing 345's foot, and demonstrating its rubber-like qualities. "Stretching!"  
>"OH! OK!"<p>

"Um, 624..." The excited Experiment suddenly seemed stressed; he looked down at his extended leg with a look of discomfort that seemed unwelcome on his bright, white face.

"Oop, sorry, 345." 624 allowed him to pull his foot back. She then tapped it comfortingly, which succeeded in bringing back 345's oversized beam.

"You alright?" The newcomer asked him..

"Oh, yeah, no big deal,"

"Sorry about that, buddy," The plucky Experiment apologized, smiling. "I was only pulling your leg,"

"Oh, that's OK, Six-T-" The clown suddenly burst into laughter, getting a jolt out of 626. "Good one, 624!"

"Alright, that's enough for now," She advised. "If we keep going, 626 is going to be completely liquid before we get there." She noticed only two things had changed about the blue infant's posture; he was sweating even more, and he seemed more attentive to her. "Don't worry so much about it 626," She reassured him. "We were all nervous on our first goes. I remember I was sweating enough to flood one of these pods. Wonder how long ago that was? Hey, 300, how old am I?" She looked back at the shape-shifting Experiment, nudging his blobby form with her foot.

"Seven weeks, 624," Was the concise reply. She held a silent, unpleasantly surprised smile for a few seconds.

"Well, uh, if I eased up that quickly, then I'm sure you'll do so just fine," She gave the newcomer a proper smile, which seemed to somewhat cool down his boiling state. His momentary peace was interrupted, though, by the sudden halt of the pod's movement.

"Right, this is it," The driver curtly announced, pushing a knob on the panel and then opening the door closest to him. He stepped readily out onto a dark, steel surface, which curved in a convex way like a gentle hill. He was followed almost immediately, with the hesitant 626 being the last out. "I'll scout ahead. I'll signal to you guys when it's clear,"

"Does 'Bang, Yelp, Splat' count as a signal?" 149 cracked. The marksman ignored her, and moved quietly down a nearby slope, keeping a blaster within his lower two hands.

"149!" 624 gave her a strict smack on the back of her head.

"Is he gonna be OK?" The newcomer nervously inquired. He peered around the ship's exterior, which had a shape oddly reminiscent of a whale.

"He always is," 300 sagely responded. "He always has too much left to do to fail,"  
>"...Like what?" 626 was curious. "You told me to let him 'do his work.' Is that what it is?"<br>"Correct." The telepath's diction attracted the newcomer's attention like flies to a lantern. "...Tell me; how many Experiments are there?"  
>"Well, uh, I'm the newest, so 626?"<br>"Not quite...There are 623 Experiments in our current rebellion. 621 was close to the 501st and 502nd; you might've thought that they were parent and child. Dr. Jumba, however, had a different strategy for them; an unusual and macabre strategy,"  
>"Which was...?"<br>"...He 'sacrificed' them," 300 spoke the word with a hidden growl, which turned 626 suddenly frigid. "The cellular structures Jumba gave each of them would cause a wide explosion if they came into contact. Special precautions were taken to keep them apart; they were never sent on missions together, we tried as best as we could to keep them in separate rooms, and so forth. But complications arose...And eventually they did get sent on a mission together, along with myself, 621, 258, and 001. They soon found themselves separated, cornered, and wounded by plasma...Hence the enhancements done for you,"  
>"Oh..."<br>"Yes...Eventually, there was a final communication to me and 621, and then...Well, Jumba's strategy was put into effect..." His yellow eyes narrowed, as if choking back an unwanted sensation of misery. "It was our previous attempt at disposing of Gantu, but as you might've surmised, it was not effective,"

626's mouth felt like opening, but his brain hadn't yet presented something to send out through it. He heard The shapeshifter mutter something like 'Only covered one damn half', but was afraid to ask for confirmation.

"And this, Experiment 626, is why you will allow 621 to do as he wishes with Gantu when we find him," The blob continued firmly. "You will stop him only if he seems endangered if he continues,"  
>"Alright, I understand," The amateur tried to imitate 300's tall disposition in his response.<br>"...If I were Jumba, I would've given you a more comfortable assignment. Something with less history behind it; just so you could adjust to life,"  
>I-It's alright. I'll do what I can, I promise,"<br>"Good...Good,"  
>"...Do many of us like Jumba?" This prompted the raise of the closest thing the shapeshifter had to an eyebrow. "621 seemed pretty angry at him back at base, and you, um..."<br>"...Some of us do, definitely more than those who don't. The majority of the latter have been sent with us, in fact, excluding 345, whom I believe just likes everything,"  
>"I think he's a bit...I don't know...Too nice,"<br>"Hm?"  
>"Something just seems strange about him, but I don't know if I can see it just yet,"<br>"...Well, I can tell you that 501 and 502 weren't the only Experiments whom Jumba took from our company." Now it was 626's turn to raise an eyebrow. "I did say there 623 at the moment, did I not? The 89th was never even sent down to us. I'm told there was a delay, and then the next one appeared and introduced himself as 070...A dull and flat creature, but I digress. Hardly anything is known of this 'cancelled' Experiment, but 088 has mentioned that it may have involved predicting the future." 626 was pensive for a moment. He recalled awakening in the grey laboratory, only realizing now how hideously cluttered it appeared. Had he known then, in his dazed, stumbling state, of the omitted 89, he could have taken the opportunity to scan for clues to the Experiment's fate. He imagined the potential of an ally with future knowledge, and then how his comrades' present situation would be changed with such potential.  
>"Could've helped save 501 and 502," The newcomer finally stated.<p>

621 quickly reemerged, motioning firmly to be followed. Upon entering through the shattered windshield, the newcomer found himself on an empty, oddly shaped floor, like the concave side of a spoon. Glancing upwards as his allies scattered slowly, he found a table with a very perplexing amount of buttons, switches, and levers about it. Two soldiers in sleek, black armor seemed to be resting against it, upside down. It was here that 626 realized that his head felt suddenly heavier than it once did, and his feet felt somehow glued to the floor. "Did you stick those guys up there, 621?" He hesitantly asked. He was confused when 149 began chuckling, and 345 had to control his noisy laughter into a discreet giggle. The marksman seemed unamused.

"Yeah, it's really weird the first time, isn't it?" The pink Experiment stepped towards her dumbfounded ally. She then displayed both of her palms, revealing the dark, circular pads they sported. 626 had an unusual urge to touch them, just to confirm that the fur was as soft as it seemed. "You see those dark things there?" 624 asked alongside the display, before going on all fours. She pushed herself into a handstand, allowing 626 to see similar pads on the bottom of each foot. "On those, as well..." On all fours again, she scurried along the floor like an arachnid, until she ended up perched on the wall. "You see?"

"We've all got those sticky things!" 345 tried to show all of his pads at once, but the resulting star jump sent him plummeting to the strange ceiling. The clown got up, however, with an undefeated beam, as if he wanted to repeat the fall.

"Oh, I get it!" 626 walked carefully, as though on a tightrope, where 624 waited. He quickly found that, aside from his heavier head and his feet hugging the ceiling, it was not dissimilar to walking on the floor. He followed his teacher down the wall, until he found himself, alongside his allies, viewing the universe properly.

"Pretty cool, huh?" 624 chirped, giving him a rewarding smile.

"Definitely,"

"Ya know, you could've just told him we were upside-down," 149 pointed out.

"I could've," 624 began. "But I think that showing beats telling. What do you think, 626?"

"Well, I do feel like deducing it for myself got me familiar with it quicker," 626 cheerfully answered, scratching the back of his head.

"See? You'll be charging head-on into these places in no time!"

"Hm, look at you two," Their short and rowdy chuckled. "Thick as thieves already,"

"Hey, uh, they might start misbehaving like you and 221," 150 spat out without thinking.  
>"You say somethin', bud?"<br>"Uh...No,"  
>"You sure?"<br>"Pretty sure...Yeah." He casually scratched the back of his neck as 149 eyed him suspiciously.

"Attention!" 621's voice cut in like a knife through fruit. All eyes became gravitated towards him, and all bodies became perfectly vertical statues. The metal-handed one felt like he had been shot down from a peaceful glide through clouds. The only one standing alongside the marksman, and whose posture was kept more naturally, was the sagacious 300. "Right, 626, now that you're familiar with your adhesive abilities, we're going to stay on the ceiling as much as we can," 621 explained his plans with the direction of a fierce army general. The newcomer, as if 300 hadn't already given any other, found 621 a reason why Jumba might not be necessary to them. "The last time I encountered Captain Gantu...I took note that he'd grown accustomed to scanning the ground for us..." Lost for a brief moment, the general returned even firmer than he had been already. "We stay on the ceiling, and he won't notice us straight away. Being closer to his head could also potentially mean an easier kill." He took a quick glance out the doorway behind him, drawing 626 to finally notice that it could've fit a tower inside it. "We'll break into two groups," The marksman continued. "300, you'll take 149, 150, and 345 down the right corridor. 624 and 626, we'll do down the left,"

"Yes, sir," 626 answered concisely.

"And before we get started, 626…" 621's four arms were raised in pairs, gesturing to the two motionless soldiers lying across from each other. "You see them?" A curt nod was given in response. "Any soldiers you see, Gantu or not, if they try to, are about to, or want to hurt you or your comrades…" He gestured more firmly to his victims. "Just make sure none of them know anything you don't. Otherwise, show them who's superior,"

"Right…" The infant thought back to his first lesson. "Because we're gonna garden—er, govern someday! Because we're the ones who deserve to!" He declared what felt right to declare, beginning to truly understand it. He felt all eyes upon him, their respect or contempt irrelevant next to the delicious quickening of his pulse as the eyes saw his fist in the air. All faces, save for the strict gun-toting and shapeshifting leaders, beamed at him.

"…Right," The marksman muttered after a while. "You all know what to do. Move out!" He and his shapeshifting associate stormed down opposite sides of the following corridor, quickly followed by their assigned teams.

"Don't wait up!" 149 called after her green, pink, and blue allies. "We'll know if you've done it from the banging and/or screaming that goes with it!"

345 noisily imitated the specified sounds, falling onto his back afterwards. The clown then used his arms like tethers to pull him onto the ceiling, where the rest of his group now marched.

"Hey, what's 150's superpower?" 626 asked his plucky teacher once they were upside-down. His fellow Experiments remaining right-way-up in his vision was noticeably helpful to 626.  
>"You mean function?"<br>"Yeah, sorry. 345 called them 'superpowers' and I got a little confused,"  
>"That's OK. At least you know what they are, which is most important, right?"<br>"Yeah, I guess,"  
>"Anyway, 150 and 149 are good at hacking and wirey stuff, and he's got that big, cool, switching cannon-hand,"<br>"So, it's, uh not to turn bright red?"  
>624 chuckled. "No, no, it's just…It's just a personal problem he's having,"<br>"What problem?"  
>"I can't tell you, it's his problem,"<br>"Please?"  
>"No, you'll have to ask him,"<br>"Does it have to do with 149?"  
>"I'm not saying anything,"<br>"Just a hint?"

"Both of you, can it, right now!" The marksman snapped, not stopping and not turning back. "We need to be focused! This stupid gossip can wait until after I've suffocated Gantu!" Blue suddenly faded to white, while 624's long ears only drooped like hanging heads.

"621..." She hopped up to him, placing a hand gently on his dark green shoulder, as if it were lying on a patch of cool grass. 621 slowed down now, his ears drooping like 624's.  
>"...I'm sorry, 624..." He said quietly, coming to a stop afterwards.<br>"It's OK, 621. I know you're upset; we all were. But it's been hardest on you, hasn't it?"  
>"Yes..." As he responded, 626 stepped forward to see him blinking very frequently, as if it was offensive to allow a tear to fall.<br>"I can't imagine how you must feel. I don't even think I can, I'm just-"  
>"Blindly, stupidly optimistic in the face of a crisis?" A small smile crept across the marksman's face, but crept to avoid detection. It was not successful.<br>"You bet I am," The two Experiments chuckled, 624 for longer than her grumpier comrade. "...But I do understand what this assignment means to you. I just want you to know that all your pain, all your anger, it's OK. Nobody thinks you're weak or a grump or anything. Personally, I think you're one of our best leaders, maybe even our best. We'd never gotten as far as we have without you, and I know now that you can only bring us further,"  
>"...You impress me, 624. I realize that I haven't given it much thought, but you've been a remarkable help, in the field or...Elsewhere...Thank you...Maybe being blindly, stupidly optimistic in the face of a crisis isn't such a bad trait at all..." There was a short silence, until the perky Experiment barely cracked it with a whisper.<br>"I miss them, too," She accompanied it with two friendly pets on the back, after which 621 shut his eyes.  
>"...C'mon, let's keep moving," He soon said softly, resuming the march. His once rock-like posture now loosened slightly.<p>

"You OK, 626?" 624 asked their student quietly.  
>"Yeah, yeah, don't worry,"<br>"...Has anyone told you about...The last time we found Gantu?"  
>"Yes; 300,"<br>"So you understand, then?"  
>"Yes, I do...That's why we're rebelling; stupid people like those two soldiers back there, thinking that they can do more than we can. Thinking that they're making a difference by fighting back,"<br>"Exactly," She smiled.  
>"...And people like Doctor Jumba." If the newcomer could see from another perspective, he'd find that his expression had faded into the immortal, stern one that the shapeshifting 300 sported. His two allies suddenly stopped; 624 looked surprised, yet her jaw seemed nowhere near dropping. 621 kept his back to them briefly, before turning to face the blue Experiment. His expression had yet to catch on, but the fire in his eyes had seemed to extinguish ever so slightly. The marksman's gaze was relaxed, neither approving him as a comrade not respecting him as a leader, but simply soft. 626 was unsure of the correct term. 621's mouth shifted barely an inch open, and then there was a sound. A faint sound on the floor above their heads, almost inaudible unless one was listening, but 621 was always listening. A rifle that was on his back was now on his shoulder, and a shot that was in the rifle was now past a soldier's useless chestplate.<p>

"_Kovacks!_" One of the now-motionless soldier's two less guile comrades cried. He knelt down next to his fallen ally, while the other aimed his rifle at their three antagonists. The green and pink Experiments dropped onto the floor, instantaneously ready for battle. 626, however, needed an extra few seconds to lower himself comfortably.

"Right, training exercise, 626!" The marksman snapped, pulling 626 forward shortly after he'd landed. "Take that one,"

"Uh, how?" Was the dumbfounded response.

"However you like,"

"Here, let me show you!" 624 chirped, stepping forward and charging towards the soldier. A single shot was fired as she approached, which she dodged with a powerful bound into the air. She landed just in front of him, and drove an uppercut into his jaw strong enough to send him flying upwards. "See? Now, you give it a try!" She gave an encouraging look back to her inexperienced ally. Before she knew it, he was right beside her, and he repeated her blow on the soldier just as he was descending, with the exact same results. "Awesome!" She smiled at him, though he seemed more focused on their falling opponent. Both Experiments planned for a jumping roundhouse kick, and this caused the soldier's head to be sandwiched violently between two Experiment feet with a disgusting crack. The soldier was not alive long enough to see the resolute Experiment chuckling when she and her blue student were sent onto their bottoms.

"Sorry, my bad," 626 muttered, scratching the back of his head.

"No, no, it's OK, excellent first fight!" 624 smiled at him again. The newcomer was beginning to wonder if she had to smile to breathe. The pink Experiment now noticed that 626's face sported some small remnants of a familiar, sickly, green substance. "Sorry that his bullet hit you,"

"What bullet?" The remains now clouded a confused look. The infant felt around his face, and then looked to his fingers to find some of the plasma they had picked up. "OH! That's right!" Now it was his turn to smile, and he did as though he was challenging 624's. It was short-lived, however, as the last soldier standing now had his gun against 626's head.

"Took two of mine..." He said through clenched teeth, hidden behind his dark helmet. "Now I'll take two of-" He never finished on account of 626's backhanding him into the wall a ways behind them.

"...Y'Know, it's just occurred to me that he couldn't have killed me, could he?" The newcomer blankly questioned. 624 only gave an indifferent nod in response.  
>"Not so hard, is it?"<br>"No, not at all. I see what you guys were saying; these guys don't seem very bright, do they?"  
>"Nuh-uh. How many you think you could take?"<br>"A couple, probably...We'll have to see,"  
>"Good, because this is what we get up to every day...And speaking of 'how many', there are usually more of 'em," She added. "A lot more. Strange, isn't it?"<p>

"Yes, it is..." 621 then looked towards the weakened soldier. "This one could make searching for Gantu a little easier," He suggested. "Let's see if I can't persuade him to-"

"No, no, I can do it, 621," 624 quickly stood up, approaching the soldier. "You, uh, you save your energy..."

"...Yes. Thank you," He said quietly, stepping back and placing his hands over his long ears. 626, who was now upright again, moved to plug his ears as well. "You'll be OK," The marksman denoted. 626 was still lost when his perky teacher suddenly sat down next to the defeated soldier, wrapping her antennae warmly around him.

"Get away from me, you murderous fucking-" The furious soldier, who 626 now noticed sounded quite young, more of a son than a father, was cut off by 624's surprising and spontaneous response; she began singing. The lyrics were in the alien language that registered as gibberish to the soldier, and yet he didn't seem to care at all. The tense hatred that his posture emitted suddenly relaxed, and he sighed as if he was in a dream. When the music had finished flowing through 626's ears like water through a canal, he doubted his gun-toting ally that he would remain unaffected. The amateur Experiment did not feel great pain or impact, but the soft, gentle rhythm had relaxed his pulse, which had been sprinting since they arrived. "Oh, that was heavenly..." The youthful soldier gasped after the brief song had concluded. "Would you mind singing it again for me?"  
>"Hmm..." 624 pretended to consider the request, stroking the fur on her chin between a finger and thumb.<br>"Please?!"  
>"How about you help me with something first? And then I can sing again for you, as payment," Her voice became nearly as soft as when it was singing.<br>"What would you have me do?" The soldier's persistence came close to intimidating 626.  
>"Well, you could maybe show us where Captain Gantu is right now,"<br>"Certainly! Just follow me, my angel..." The soldier seemed to float onto his feet, walking down the corridor as if in a dream.

"Uuuhh, 624, I have a question," The newcomer hesitantly began as they followed the hopeless soldier.  
>"Ask away, 626," The soothing purr she had spoken to the soldier was replaced by her former, cleaner chirp, like a bird's tweeting during the early morning.<br>"...What?"  
>"Ask away, 62-"<br>"No, I heard what you said, I just wanted to know what that thing back there was,"  
>"Oh, you meant what the singing was?!"<br>"Yes!"  
>"Ah, sorry!"<br>"It's OK,"  
>"See, I thought you meant what it was I just said! I should've thought that you asked about the hypnotising thing-"<br>"What was that you were doing there?"  
>"Oh, sorry. You know how we all have our own functions, right? You're anti-plasma, 621 has firearms, 10's our doctor, 300 shapeshifts and reads minds, et cetera,"<br>"Yeah. So, yours is to flirt with the enemy until they do what we want them to?" He was caught off guard by 624's sudden burst into hysterical laughter.  
>"It's annoying, isn't it?" She joked, wiping her eyes and trying to control her breaths. "Mine is to hypnotize people with this song Jumba programmed me with. And yes, I have tried doing it without seeming like the town bicycle-"<br>"The what?"  
>"Something 276 said...while we were training..." The plucky Experiment shivered slightly, but turned calm almost immediately afterwards. "Anyway, I've tried being a little cleaner with the song, but it seems to work better with the more inappropriate portrayal. I mean..." She leaned lazily against 626, with one arm dangling over his shoulder, and her right foot stepped over her left. "If I was trying to hypnotize you like this, what would you think?"<br>"Well, it does seem pretty casual compared to that lovely song. The inconsistency might be confusing,"  
>"Doesn't it?" She held the posture until she had finished talking, and then resumed following the soldier. "...So I'm stuck doing the whole 'town bicycle' thing. But it won't work on you or Number 625, since Jumba said he'll update all my successors to not fall for my succubus crap, so you don't have anything to worry about,"<br>"Oh, good,"  
>"Yeah...Let's just say I learned that the hard way...Or the even-more-of-a-pain-in-the-ass-than-necessary way, if you like..." She seemed troubled as she said this.<br>"...I don't think you're a town bicycle," 626 eventually said comfortingly, smiling. His teacher only released a light chuckle in response.

621 paid almost no mind to his comrades' conversation. His focus was locked on the soldier, their destination, and the ominous butterflies which rocketed around his stomach like a rehearsed airshow at the thought of it.

**IV**

"Wonder what he's down here for..." 149 muttered, as she, 150, and 345 carefully descended an unusually wide staircase. Ahead of them, a soldier with yellow eyes, covered in some dark green substance from top to bottom, lead the way.

"He's definitely here," Her metal-handed associate observed quietly. 300 had advised them to keep the noise down, even though it was unlikely Gantu would hear their footsteps on the stairs. "Look how big all these halls are. Only a captain as big as Gantu would be assigned to a ship like this,"

"I imagine Jumba thought of that when he snuffed this ship out, 150," The shapeshifters's deep speaking pace poured from the corrupted soldier's mouth, yet the soldier's more youthful tone was maintained.  
>"Oh, yeah...Sorry,"<br>"No, it's still a shrewd observation, I only meant to point out that it may have been made before,"  
>"Um, OK...Thanks," 150 was confused.<p>

"So he remembers for sure that Gantu's down here?" 345 inquired.  
>"With his utmost confidence," The telepath's speech answered. He looked briefly down the soldier's arm he had corrupted. "I try to pick the more vigorous ones, otherwise a person's uncertainty might be passed onto me,"<br>"Oh, so did you once take over someone who, like, couldn't decide which corridor to take, and then you got stuck not knowing which one, too?" The clown seemed amused by the idea.  
>"No!" Was 300's surprsingly quick answer.<br>"Are you suuuure?" The elastic terrorist's neck stretched so his face was pressingly close to the possessed soldier's.  
>"...Positive,"<br>"Okey dokey." He performed a graceful backwards somersault down some of the steps, thanks to his elongating torso. He enjoyed the maneuver so much he decided to do it down even more steps.  
>"Mind your surroundings, 345!" The 300-coated soldier scolded him.<br>"Don't worry, 300, I am!" The rubber Experiment was suddenly caught off guard when his feet caught a surface higher and skinnier than he had anticipated. Looking down, he saw that he had not only reached the bottom of the stairs, and had just begun ascending a new flight parallel to them, but he had landed on top of a soldier's helmet. "Hello there!"

The soldier aimed his rifle at his new hat. "It's OK, Private," A warm, familiar voice butted in, albeit softly and without much concern. Looking back up the new set of stairs, 345 and the soldier found 624 approaching them, alongside 626 and 621. "You're not going to hurt him, are you?" Her transparent deceptiveness was opaque to the Private.

"Certainly not, my angel," He answered softly.

"Good obedience, Private!" 345 bent down so his hands could pat the soldier's armoured cheeks, while his feet patted the back of the head. "I'm hereby promoting you to Corporal!"

"Captain Gantu waits in the next room..." The Private ignored his honorary promotion and gestured towards a circular, metallic door, like a giant, plugged sinkhole, at the right of the staircase's end. As he spoke, 300 shed the soldier he had corrupted, letting the limp, unconscious body drop to the floor. "Is there anything else I can provide, my angel?"

"No, you've done a wonderful job, Corporal," 624 began, as she and her allies approached the metal door. "Now, why don't you just stay right there? And when I'm done with Captain Gantu, I'll come back here and sing some more for you. Alright, Sergeant?"

"Oh...Yes, anything you say, my angel," The soldier proudly answered.

"Right, then," 621 whispered, coming up to the thin, scarcely visible notch that ran down the middle of the circular door. "Seems like a soldier helped you out, too," He observed the soldier formerly coated by his shapeshifting ally.

"Yes..." The blob replied. "A pitiful creature; transforming into his own repellent son made him immediately delirious,"

"But 300's impression of the kid's voice made 345 immediately hysterical," 149 added.

"And then my laughing got you laughing, too, 149!" The clown replied joyously, returning to the floor. "Laughter really is contagious, huh?"

"It was all one big chain reaction," 300 concluded lowly. "Digression aside, though,"

"Thank you..." The marksman turned to the door, attempting to pry it open with his twig-like arms. "...Would two of you mind volunteering?" He asked the others when he found himself unable to pry it open. "Discreetly, of course,"

"Yeah, 150's big, freakin', metal fist's not really the stealthiest thing in the universe, is it?" The shortest Experiment joked.

"Uh, yeah," 150 muttered. "...What she said,"

"Here, me and 626 will open it," 624 volunteered.

"Uh, sure, why not?" The newcomer added. "Just sign me up without asking, by all means!" He looked at the perky Experiment, and they were frozen in silence for a while. They soon broke into smiles, which quickly evolved into a shared chuckle.

"Sooner before later," 621 scolded. "If you wouldn't mind..." The marksman's brow was beginning to moisten. Without another word, the pink Experiment took one half of the door, while her blue successor took the other. The doors steadily parted ways before 621. The butterflies in his stomach burst into flames, becoming a single roaring fire, tickling his innards, like that inside a boy awakening on Christmas morning. The doors might as well have been gates into Heaven, because what awaited behind them was that for the marksman. Suddenly, the gates paused, with just enough room between them to fit an Experiment in sideways.

"There you go, bud," 624 said to him softly. "You know what to do,"

"Yes, I do..." He replied quietly. "Thank you...Thank you all..." He turned to face the rest of his allies. "You are all fine soldiers. No matter how much I've scolded you, lashed out at you, or anything else, I just want you all to know that we could never have gotten to this point without you. Or any of the Experiments before or after us. And what I do now, I do not just for 501 and 502, but I do it for each and every powerful warrior who has been denied their rightful privileges by this ignorant Federation..." His allies were silent for a moment. Before too long, though, each of them, even the fidgety 345 stood up straight, and raised a firm hand respectfully to their own forehead. 621 only returned the salute in response. Then he turned, with more than their assignment's completion nigh. Just before the marksman entered, though, somebody still had something to say.

"You deserve this," The newcomer told him. 621 looked silently at him for a brief moment, admiring, for once, how much growth could take place within one mission. He relayed none of this to 626, but simply nodded, and then vanished upwards in the doorway. The youngest terrorist observed his stealthy comrade intently, as if his eyes and 621 were tied to opposite ends of a string. He longed for the moment when the giant would fall limp to the floor, so he might know if it would be as satisfying as he was predicting.

Gantu was there. The four-armed terrorist had a perfect, inverted view of the Captain's back, which might as well have had 'Kill Me' scrawled upon it in thick ink. 621 had almost no care for the room itself; it was a dark crimson and almost empty, but none of it mattered aside from Gantu. 621 crept closer to his target, his footsteps creating dead silence against the ceiling. His rifle was drawn when he was close enough to spit on Gantu. The captain's head looked almost exactly like a shark's; a miserable gray, and with a fin poking out next to each cheek. He had seemed giant enough at the end of the room, but now he was like a skyscraper. He was clad in a sleek, black uniform, with arms sporting the Federation's symbol; a white oval surrounding a black egg shape, with three arms with circular appendages protruding from each side, like some bizarre insect. His massive hands, pressing slowly away against buttons on a computer console, made six fingers altogether. 621 aimed his rifle for the back of Gantu's shark-like head. All he had to do was pull his finger inwards, then the Experiments could depart, the Federation would be one elusive captain short, and his fury would deplete. That, he quickly decided, would be far too brief. It was not brief for 501 and 502. The rifle instead lost two projectiles to Gantu's left shoulder and right thigh.

"Have you made a bucket list, Captain?" The marksman landed on the floor with a powerful thud. 626 and the others witnessed the fall from the door and felt it through the floor. The captain still drew breath, but the impact and delivered, and the newcomer could not help but smirk. "Is there anything you want to do before you die?" Approaching his enemy's gasping head, 621 delivered the strongest punt he could across the shark-like face. "I want to know everything that's impossible now. Everything that can't happen, that won't happen, because all of it is your own damn fault."

"Six-Hundred-And-Twenty...One, I believe..." Gantu had heard 621's mockeries as little more than the custom language he had yet to decipher. "Yes, I remember you. On the day that Five-Hundred-And-One and Five-Hundred-And-Two were eliminated." Another kick arrived right on the heels of his sentence. "I suppose you think you're very clever, don't you?" The captain forcibly obscured his pain. "Finding me, shooting me, whatever else you've done on your way here-" He was met with a left hook; the marksman didn't care. "In all honesty, you illegal abomination, aren't you a little disappointed?" This, however, saved the captain from a fourth hit; 621 concurred, and his attention shifted away from removing his anger. "Don't you think more soldiers would be on a military vessel?" Gantu's confrontational glare stretched into a conniving smirk. "A better question: what was I doing on the console when you arrived?"

The marksman's attention was now on the computer screen, likewise for his allies outside. All the screen had to tell them was that they'd all be dead in about three-and-a-half minutes.

"Just like how Five-Hundred-And-One and Five-Hundred-And-Two were eliminated, eh?" The captain was calm; 621's hopeless look of realization distracted him from his wounds. "Very appropriate. And don't worry, I'm perfectly fine with it. I discussed this whole plan with the Grand Councilwoman. Not a necessity for me to die, but it's worth it if you and whichever ones came with you are coming with me." He now found the marksman staring at him. "Hell, it's worth it even if it's just you, you parasite...I wonder...Are you to them what I am to my fellow officers?" Gantu's smirk grew only a second older, before 621 broke into a grin of pure, twisted delight.

"YES!" He cackled. "OH, YES! YOU GENIUSES, YOU'RE GOING TO FINISH HIM OFF!" He cheered to the air around him. "OH, THANK YOU!" He now cheered to his frightened enemy. "THANK YOU, YOU WONDERFUL, PRETENTIOUS, HIDEOUS RETARD!" He stomped as hard as he possibly could on Gantu's shoulder wound, creating an immensely satisfying yelp.

"621!" 300's voice shook the room. 621 could not see that the shapeshifter had stepped in front of 626 and 624 to help them fully open the circular door. "CEASE THIS INSTANT!" Unfortunately, the marksman showed no haste.

"Sorry, buddy!" 345 called, as his arm stretched into the room, curled around the marksman, and pulled him back into the group. "But if we're all sad that you're dead, we'll have no time to be happy that Gantu is!" The clown was met with no argument; 621 ran up the stairs with the others as soon as they started.

"Just stay there, Sergeant!" 624 hurriedly called back to the dazed soldier.

"...I'm a Private," He said absent-mindedly.

"He's gonna die..." 621 chuckled when they were nearing the room they began in. "He's gonna sacrifice himself, and it'll all be for nothing!" 300 felt an urge to scold the marksman, or at least express disapproval. However, noticing his allies giving off looks of excitement as they ran, the telepath couldn't help but share the expression.

"This should make their military crappier, then, eh?" 626 asked.

"Exactly, 626!" 621's cheerful reaction caught the newcomer off guard. "Much, much crappier! We might even be able to find the Grand Councilwoman!" He took a quick glance behind him, and then his heart skipped a beat before bursting into flames. "Dammit! RUN!" The marksman commanded, his anger returning. Gantu was limping his way after his opponents; his unparalleled height compensating for his wounded leg. The Experiments ran as fast as their short legs could carry them, until they reached the shattered windshield where they had previously entered. It quickly became host to a sardine can of an escape, but it was ultimately able to fit the crowd through, with only 624 and 626 remaining.

"You go first!" The pink terrorist commanded.  
>"Oh, no, you can go first-"<br>"This isn't a courtesy contest, 626, just go-" The two suddenly found themselves in an enormous, miserably gray, three-fingered clutch.

"Got you!" Gantu exclaimed. He held up his two captives with his good arm, as his right dangled uselessly at his side. "Hm, you're a new one," He observed. "There's been almost no time since your predecessor...Of course, Jacques and Jumba were always nose-to-the-dirt workers...Eight years..." The captain seemed to be floating off to his own world, inhabited by events long since past. The two Experiments, however, were kept in reality by not only the final minute before death, but by the name mentioned alongside Jumba's. "At the very least," Gantu soon continued. "You two are coming with me. That's enough...That's enough..."

**V**

"We did it!" 150 exclaimed when the steering wheel was in his rough grasp. "We made it!" His metallic hand hovered over the startup lever on his left, ready to pull the instant the pod was full. 149 and 345 leapt inside, and 300 was beginning his entrance, until their metal-handed comrade noticed a sickening absence behind the approaching 621. "Where are 624 and 626?!" This prompted the marksman to glace over his shoulder, and then immediately dart back where he came.

"Get in the air, then swing back for us!" He ordered as he ran. "345, I need you to act as a rope. You'll have to get over your grabbing problem!"

"Oh, no, oh no, oh no, oh no!" The clown panicked, afraid of more than just an unwelcome grip around a limb.

"150!" The shapeshifter said firmly, standing in the frame of the ajar door. "Up and around!" There was no hesitation; the pod was in the air sooner than 621 was back down the shattered windshield.

**VI**

"W-W-Who's Jacques?!" 626 questioned in a panic, his fur dampening with sweat. The language was gibberish to Gantu, but he could hear the name spoken in a confused tone.

"One of your creators, of course!" The captain answered firmly. "He's been designing you terrorist abominations since he left my-..." A wide-eyed look of terrified realization spread across the shark-like face. It rivaled the looks of frightened children that his two captives sported. His lip began to open, but nothing had come to exit yet. Finally, thought, words arrived. "I need to report this!" Just as he muttered this, he found himself shot in the chest. Then shot again, and again, and again, and again, and again. As the captain fell to the ground, 621 leaped upwards to his falling allies, catching them both in his four skinny arms.

"I did it..." He panted. He held 626 and 624 close to him like they wee his own newborn children. "You made it this time..."

"Oh, 621..." The antennae'd Experiment began.

"Sorry, we need to go!" The marksman pulled them up to the windshield almost immediately. During their ascent to the roof, however, 626 caught a last glimpse of the floor; a third body should've joined the two left by his gun-toting ally much earlier, but this was not the case.

"Gantu's gone!" The newcomer worriedly announced when they were out.  
>"What?!" 624 exclaimed.<br>"Dammit, he must've been wearing a vest!" 621's grunt was surprisingly impassive. "Let's just hope he's slow enough..." At that moment, what looked like a long, green, rubber rope dangled in front of them, moving steadily away. Looking up, they found 345 protruding from inside their crimson pod, with both of his short legs poking out of the doorway, as if he were on a very elaborate swing.

"I know I said not to, but grab on!" The clown called down with the tone of a terrified child.

"Come on, now!" The marksman pressed, as he and 624 darted for the slowly departing arm. 626 would've grabbed on with even less hesitation, were it not for a bursting noise in the distance. Turning to find the source, his heart sank like a leaking boat when he saw it was an unusually large pod, soaring past the planets and stars and back to its Grand Councilwoman.

"626!" Multiple voices cried out at once. The newcomer turned around, and his heart hit the ocean floor with a sickening thud; the pod had flown a ways down the roof already. Without a moment's hesitation or thought, 626 ran as fast as he could, and then even fast, until he was with an arm-and-a-half's distance of 345's hand. 624 was lowest, while 621 perched just above her like a gargoyle, as if a sentinel over the blue Experiment.

"You can do this, 626!" His teacher called back down to him. She flipped around so her front was to 626, as her two spare hands emerged to grip 345's arm. "You got this, 626! You got this, no problem!" She used her primary arms to reach for him. "Come on, I got you!" Their fingers brushed against each other several times, but never linked. "Can you catch one of my antennae?!" 624's two antennae joined in the rescue attempt, reaching for the infant Experiment like airborne snakes.

"Ack! I can't-..." 626 was unable to firmly grasp one of the noodle-like appendages, either because of their pathetic width or the sweat exploding from his palms.

"Oh, _crappers!_" The pink Experiment's ideas were depleting faster than time. She needed more length. Thinking quickly, she reached down and grasped 345's hand, rolling forwards like unravelling yarn, hoping now that a leg or two was within arm's reach. "Grab my ankle! Come on, you can do it!"

"Alright!" 626 reached his entire arm out, his heart racing even faster than he was. "I can do it, I can-" The infant leaped for the limb, knowing that the likelihood of his escape was slimming. He thought of the late couple 501 and 502, and the mysterious 89; he would be joining their ranks after mere hours of consciousness. His fingertips were barely parallel to 624's foot.

**VII**

"Come on, 345, get your other arm down there!" 149 demanded in a panic, her eyes locked on the pursuing, blue Experiment below.

"I'll try," The clown panicked, his eyes becoming moist. "It's hard when I have to move away as well,"

"At least try! 300, maybe you could try, too-"

"Of course," A second, yellow-eyed 345 was already leaning out of the northeastern door. His voice was as deep as an abyss, and his focused expression and dramatic posture seemed borrowed from 300.

"Ah, well..." The short Experiment looked back down; 626 reached for 624's ankle, and both 345s reached with their right arms for the blue Experiment.

The Federation ship suddenly faded darker than the space around it. The metal-handed Experiment pulled up, trying his best to stifle a heart attack. The Federation's lineup of vessels decreased by one, and the stars and planets paled for a while against the blinding, orange, smoking finale that was once a military ship. All four Experiments in the now-halted pod were damp with sweat, but 345's heart gracefully leaped over a beat when he felt a familiar weight on his left arm. He sent his free hand spiraling down to retrieve his cargo. A dark white mohawk poked into the front seat, quickly followed by four bony arms and a thick arsenal attached to a stick of a body. An even skinnier pair of pink antennae entered the back seat, followed by a ghostly but beaming face.

"You're OK!" The clown exclaimed, pulling 624 to her feet. "You made it! W-W-Where's 626?! He didn't blow up, did he?!" A single inconspicuous tear escaped his formerly erratic eyes.

"No, he's OK. I got him," The pink Experiment answered, turning around and pulling the door shut. "Well, technically, he got me. Potato, potato," More emphasis on the 'A' the second time. Both she and 345 glanced downwards; a frigid 626 had both hands clamped on 624's right foot, which was turning paler than the colorful limb that preceded it. The infant's wide-eyed face was a similarly pale shade.

"You alright, Blue?" 149 got on the floor to be level with 626, who was dead silent. "Ya damn near killed us all with a heart attack!"  
>"Are all missions like this?" He asked blankly.<br>"Well, not quite, but-"  
>"OK, then..." The newcomer stood up, and then plopped in a seat with 624, keeping his terrified grip on the parallel foot all the while.<p>

"Oh, thank goodness!" 345 cheered. "I nearly thought you went kablooie, 626! What a relief, huh?!"

"You said it, 345," The perky Experiment replied, smiling and breathing heavily. "Good thing you got sent out with us, or it'd be a whole heck of a lot harder without your ropey arms." Their abilities were briefly and gleefully showcased by the clown. "You alright? I know you hate being grabbed,"  
>"Yeah, but it helped you guys, didn't it? Besides, there is one kind of sort-of-grabbing that I do like a bit,"<br>"Is there? Do tell." She and 626 suddenly found themselves embraced by the elongated arms. "Aww, we love you, too, 345." She wrapped an arm and an antennae around each Experiment.

"626?" 150 panicked, leaning over the front seat. The hug loosened, allowing the blue Experiment to listen, as well as revealing that he still had not released 624's right foot. "I'm sorry! I thought you'd already grabbed onto 345, so I started driving away! I'm so sorry, 626, it was all my fault-"

"It's OK," Was the blank answer, accompanied by an automatic squeeze on 624's ankle. "It's OK..." Nobody except the metal-handed Experiment noticed 149 give a vindictive snarl at the apology.

"...Thanks, man," 150 said softly after a while, before sitting back down.

"...Hey, Blue?" The short Experiment began, wiping some sweat off of her brow. "I think 624 might want her foot back." This prompted 626 to look at what he held, looking as if it was a new discovery for him.

"You were scared, huh?" 624 asked him gently.  
>"...A little." The newcomer looked up.<br>"Does suffocating my foot to death make you feel any better?"  
>"...A little,"<br>"Well, you can choke it for as long as you have to. I don't need it right now, anyway." She gestured back at the seat they were on.  
>"...Are you sure you don't mind?"<br>"Sure, I'm sure. I did tell you to grab onto it-"  
>"You saved me..." 626 interrupted. "Both you and 621. You saved me twice." The marksman leaned over the front seat when he heard his name. "...I'm sorry I couldn't do more on this mission, and I'm sorry that I just made things harder for everyone, being late twice and all. But you saved me both times...Thank you..."<br>"Of course we saved you, 626," His plucky teacher merrily replied. "We need to protect our rebellion, right?"  
>"But Gantu escaped. We failed the assignment! He escaped in a pod!"<p>

"Yes, but you know what, 626?" 621 began, his face still serious, but the eyes within it melting like ice in the sun. "I'll get another chance to kill him, but I wouldn't have been able to save you two again." He found the newcomer's hand finally off of 624's foot, and being offered to him. He calmly obliged the handshake. "And don't worry, there will be other, less delicate missions where you'll get to show your full potential,"

"I can't wait..." 626 turned to 300. "I see why you said you wished I'd gotten a different mission, now, 300,"

"Ah," The blob replied calmly. "All the same, I suppose showing is more effective than telling, don't you think?"

"I guess so,"

"OH! 626!" 624 suddenly exclaimed with terrified realization.

"What? Did he permanently cut off the circulation?" 149 joked.

"Wh-No!" The plucky Experiment turned back to her student. "Gantu mentioned someone, remember? Someone named Jacques, who's been-"

"Designing us..." 626 finished. All eyes were now locked intently on him, as if he'd set off a bomb right there inside the pod.

"For how long?!" 300 demanded.

"Since he left Gantu's..." 624 began. "Something, he didn't say. Service, maybe?"

"He did say it's been about eight years, though," The blue Experiment added.

"...Well, this is unexpected," The shapeshifter muttered, pensive.

"Aw, crap!" 149 threw her hands on her face and her head backwards. 345 seemed as though he'd been pulled on again, 150's head remained hung, and 621 hardly moved.

"So, Jumba's been hiding some third party from us for quite a while..." The marksman said quietly, before rubbing his upper hands together. "I did tell you all that the bastard had something up his sleeve...We need to get back to base, I want to ask 10 about a 'Jacques!'"

"My thoughts exactly," 300 replied, before turning to the pensive 150.

"Um, 300," The metal-handed Experiment said before his telepathic ally could begin. "Would you mind taking the wheel for the ride back?"

"...Not at all. Budge over, now..."

**VIII**

"Alright, I've got one..." 221 called down to the Experiment in a bed a ways away from his own. "You're trapped in a room without any windows or doors, and the walls are too powerful for you to knock down. There's nothing in it aside from a mirror and a wooden table. How do you get out?"

"Ooh, that's a tough one, for sure..." Number 158 muttered, speaking with a soft yet gruffly voice, like a detective in one of the black-and-white films the planet Earth had made decades ago. He was dark red like dry blood, and he had ears and a nose of equally impressive length, the latter of which was highly admired by both himself and his comrades. He pondered the riddle, stroking the fur on his slender chin with his right hand, as his left was bandaged and supported by a short, metal block, not unlike the electrician's right foot. "Hang on, 'aside from a mirror and a wooden table.' So am I already outside of the room in the first place?"  
>"Oop, sorry; a mirror, a table, and yourself,"<br>"Dammit..." Back to his thoughtful state. "What do you think, 10?!"

The medic was down at the front of the room, and he was prompted into a short yelp and another red streak shooting out of his trunk, hitting the wall. A tin of medicine he'd been examining nearly hit the floor, but he was able to catch it and carefully return it to the shelf after exiting the anxious posture he had caught it in. "Uh, w-what do I think of what?!"

"221's riddle. 221, tell 10 your riddle..." The taxing conundrum was repeated.

"Ah, well..." 10 scratched at the fins atop his head. "A mirror...Maybe if you saw something in the mirror that-..." His black eyes widened in realization. "I think I know the answer!"

"Where's that branch-nosed shmucko?!" An Experiment who appeared to be made out of ice burst into the room, giving the medic another fright. He found the spontaneous appearance far more jarring than his sticky, scarlet fingers.

"Hello, 523," The long-nosed Experiment groaned, rolling his eyes, but smiling nonetheless. Number 523 was closely followed by an Experiment blue like the planet Earth's sky, with a head like a pitchfork and a body just as thin. She, too, wore gloves, and one boot, of blood.

"Hey, 10," They both greeted 10 impassively, their interests more in their bed-ridden friend.

"Oh, h-hello, 248, 523..." The physician's response went unheard.

"How's your nasty plasma wound coming along?" The bright blue one softly inquired to 158 when they were by his bedside.

"Well, better than it was right after I was shot, for sure," He answered.

"Good thing it wasn't that nose of yours, huh?" The icy Experiment gave him too enthusiastic of a pat on the back.  
>"True, true," 158 coughed. "Would be nice if it could find us the Grand Councilwoman or Captain Gantu, though,"<br>"You think? Hey, it was able to find us General Solo!"  
>"Yes, there's that." A smile formed under the valued nose. "Hey, you guys wanna hear a riddle?"<p>

"Visiting hours, eh?" 221 shrugged to his doctor, receiving only a timid smile in response.

"Hey, 10," A familiar voice followed the clicking of the door opening behind the medic. He turned around to find 149 entering, with 345, 624, 626, and 621 following her closely.

"Hello, 149," He greeted her. "221's foot is healing, but he's still got a little while to go. I was thinking about applying a little more anti-plasma in a second, but you can visit for a while if you want,"  
>"Aw, that's nice 'a ya, 10...Both the anti-plasma bit and the visitin' bit,"<br>Well, you can always visit whenever you like,"  
>"Yeah, 'cause you let us,"<br>"Oh, yeah...Still,"

"Still, you're just an awesome doctor, tenzy!" The clown leaped ahead and kissed 10's cheek in a noisy and ridiculous manner.

"Nice to see you again, 10." 626 patted the medic's shoulder as he entered with the others, but the green Experiment had been rendered too wide-eyed and crimson to notice. "You alright?"

"Oh, he's fine," 624 told him. "You should've seen how 345 thanked him when he got his arm out of a knot for him,"

"I just like to show my gratitude to our helpful friend, is all," The clown cheerfully explained.

"So, if you lot are done talking about Mr. Rubbery's Fantastic Adventures," 221 began, sitting up as best as he could. "Why don't you let Doc and I hear how 626's first job went. Might help bring the poor, trunked bugger out of the trance 345's put him in." He motioned to the still-surprised 10.  
>"Well, we actually got sent off to kill Captain Gantu," The amateur began his account, bringing 10 back to reality, and bringing the delighted grin of a child at Christmas to 221's face.<br>"For your first go?! Did you do it?! Oh, please tell me that invisible sod is dead!"

"He escaped," 621 answered curtly. "We tried, but it couldn't be done,"

"He was gonna blow the ship up with both us and himself on it," The newcomer continued. "And he was wearing a vest that saved him from being shot by 621,"  
>"Ah, yeah, vests..." The bed-ridden electrician gave a disappointed snarl. "That's why I always opt for other methods..." He flexed his fingers, creating sparks in between them.<br>"Hm. I saw him leaving in a pod as we escaped. I lagged behind a bit, but luckily my awesome comrades here got me out." The blue Experiment turned and smiled to 624, 621, and 345, who all returned it.

"Yeah, see, 150 went and started driving our pod off without Blue here," 149 continued to her lover. "Poor guy was left runnin' after us, darn near got blown up,"

"Oh, come on, 149," The pink Experiment scolded. "There's no need to blame that on anyone!"  
>"Why not? 626 might've died on his first trip 'cuz 'a my partner's carelessness!"<br>"Well, he didn't, so what does it matter?!"

"Plus, he did apologize afterwards," 626 added, albeit less forceful than his teacher. "I don't really get what the problem is." The newcomer backed away an inch when he noticed 149's eyes beginning to narrow.

"You were scared, weren't you, babe?" The electrician reached out and gently took his girlfriend's hand. He received a cold glare in response, but no resistance. "Bein' so tough all the time, thinkin' we won't notice when you're scared, as if we'll like you less for it..." He moved his hand to go around her slender waist. "Like when I got shot earlier; you were scared, weren't you? And it's OK, you're not the only one who gets scared..." She seemed to have automatically scooted next to him on the bed, putting an arm around him as he did around her. "But just remember that no matter how scared or tough you might be, I'll still like you just as much,"  
>"...You're such a dope, Spark,"<br>"I try, love, I try,"  
>"But you're my dope." The two embraced for a while, before noticing that nobody had left, only turned away.<br>"Psst, guys..." 221 whispered to get their attention. "This is the bit where you go find something else to do,"

"We would, but there's something we'd like to inform you and 10 of, first," The marksman firmly began.  
>"Can't it wait? We're cuddling right now,"<br>"This is more important." He motioned to 626 and 624.

"Oh! That's right!" The short Experiment darted back to her feet. "The third party that Jumba's hidden from us!"

"What?!" 221 leaned forward in curiosity, as did his doctor.

"Gantu mentioned someone named Jacques," 626's plucky teacher began. "Who's been designing us for...Ages, probably,"

"Maybe even since the first of us," The student added.

"Designing?!" The electrician was flabbergasted. "Like tellin' Jumba what superpow-I mean, functions to give us and such?!"  
>"Yeah, that's what 'design' means,"<br>"You're sure he wasn't just full of crap?!"

"What point would he find?" 624 answered. "He was about to kill 626 and I when he told us, why would he lie to us at a time like that? That's just mean,"  
>"Well, it is Gantu,"<br>"Yeah, but still, there'd be no true purpose to that kind of meanie-ness,"  
>"Touche,"<p>

"B-B-But why would Jumba keep this Jacques guy a secret?" 10 inquired, fading from crimson to white.

"Isn't that the question, 10?" 621 replied. "I've suspected this of Jumba for a while now. I wanted to ask you, being one of the earliest Experiments, if you remembered anything that may be connected to this?"  
>"Hm...N-Not specifically...Well, I kind of remember someone with a red coat and long ears..." All eyes were on the medic like hawks.<br>"Long ears? Like mine?"  
>"N-No, no, more like..." 10 held his clawed hands up by the top of his head, imitating rabbit ears.<br>"Well, that's something..."

"W-W-We need to keep going on this!" 221 suggested, leaning as far as his useless foot's position on the metal block would allow. "If Gantu knows, there might be other wankers in the Federation who know a thing or two, as well. Heck, Gantu's still out there, and he must know more about this Jacques bloke!"

"We could investigate this on the side while we're in the field," His short lover added. "Interrogate soldiers, search databases! This might even link to that cancelled Experiment; 089!" This earned a clap and an enthusiastic point of an index finger from her bed-ridden ally.

"That sounds most agreeable, don't you all think?" 621 cracked a sinister smirk. His present comrades all nodded in response. "Even you, 345?"

"Of course!" The clown's unfitting joy was already expected by the other Experiments. "Why wouldn't I help my buddies find out Jumba's big secret?!"

"Speaking of which..." The marksman continued. "Not a word of this to any of us more supportive of Jumba, understand? We'll have 300 and 150 in on this, as well. It will be our own rebellion within a rebellion,"

"A double rebellion," 626 added.

"Rebellion-ception!" 345 contributed with a chuckle.

"Excellent," 621 clapped both pairs of hands together. "We can start when our next assignment comes. For now...626, why don't you get familiar with the base? I think you've earned a bit of time to yourself,"

"Why don't I introduce you to some of the other Experiments?" 624 suggested. "I can see 158, 523, and 248 down over there,"

"Uh, sure, why not?" The amateur replied, smiling.

"Good," The marksman turned to the door, less strict than usual. "I'm going to go find 300 and 150,"

"Why don't you go with him, hon?" 221 suggested to his girlfriend. "Sounds like poor 150 might need a bit of cheering up,"

"I think that's a great idea, Lightnin'." The short Experiment leaned in to lick his fuzzy cheek. "10, were you gonna add some-" The medic had rushed back to the shelf of medicines before she could finish. She then followed the marksman out the door.

"...Hey, 345," The bed-ridden electrician began, noticing that the clown was the only one still present. "Suppose you're trapped in a room, and there are no windows or doors-"

"There's one over there, though." The clown pointed to the door, prompting 221 to bury his face in hand.

**IX**

"What a first day, huh?" 624 cheerfully asked her student as they traversed down the row of beds.  
>"You said it. I...It's weird; I'm exhausted, but at the same time, I just want to get back out there and see what more we can find out about this Jacques guy,"<br>Sounds like you and 221 are gonna be thick as thieves, then. Who's gonna be the bad cop?" The joke went in and out of 626's long ears. "Anyway, you feeling a little better now?"  
>"Oh, yeah, yeah,"<br>"You don't need this at all?" The plucky Experiment stopped to hold her right foot up to him.  
>"Uh, no, thanks,"<br>"OK." They resumed walking. "I think you're gonna be one of our best,"  
>"You think so?"<br>"Definitely. Listen to how devoted you already are to the rebellion, or both rebellions, now,"  
>"Well, after seeing Gantu, I can understand even better than before we left,"<br>"No kidding, huh?"  
>"I can't wait until 621 finds him again,"<br>"You and me both. I actually really hope we get another assignment together,"  
>"Oh, me, too. You were a really great teacher, so at the very least, I can say I learned a lot on this mission,"<br>"Anytime. I'm glad I was helpful," She smiled again. 626 was beginning to find it more comforting than odd.  
>"But there are just two more things I'm wondering about,"<br>"Sure. What's on your mind?"  
>"Well, first, I was wondering why 621 has more arms than everyone else?"<br>"You mean like this?" Her spare arms emerged from her waist as if out of a grave, giving 626 an unpleasant jolt. "Whoa, whoa, it's OK, it's OK..." She gently held him still with all four arms, and he soon regained the will to speak.  
>"Oh, yeah, you used them to hold onto 345 while you were helping me up,"<br>"Yeah. You don't remember?"  
>"...I just recalled it, didn't I?"<br>"Hm, yeah, touche..." The third and fourth arms retreated back into their pink owner's waist. "621 just likes to keep his spares out. I can teach you how to use yours later, if you like,"  
>"That would be nice..."<br>"...Now, you said there were two things?"  
>"Ah, yeah, um..." The amateur let out a great deal of air, as if his feeling of discomfort would leave his body with it. "Would you mind maybe...Not now, but later, when none of the others would hear...Maybe singing that song of yours again to me?" The discomfort only increased at 624's puzzled reaction. "Y-You don't have to do it like you're hypnotizing a soldier or anything!" He panicked. "You could maybe do it on a stage and I'll be, like, in an audience..."<br>"OK," 624 eventually chirped, surprising the blue Experiment. "And thanks for asking nicely." She playfully ruffled the fur on his head, erasing the discomfort from it. "First, though, let's get you acquainted with some other Experiments,"  
>"Yes, why not?" They now approached the bed where the horizontal 158 snickered at 248 and 523's cluelessness at his riddle. "Hey, guys?" 624 got their attention. "This is Number 626; he was just dropped off earlier today,"<p>

**X**

"Alright. Thank you, 300..." Jumba was disappointed at 300's report, but knew showing frustration wouldn't prove anything. He simply terminated communication to the Experiment base with a somber button press on the console. He then leaned forward on it, burying his quadruple-eyed face in his beefy hands. He knew he would have to report Gantu's unfortunate survival to his partner eventually, but the will to do so still searched for him. He finally looked up and did what he often did in similar circumstances; he gazed up at the smaller screen surrounding the one formerly displaying 300. There weren't many, perhaps only over a dozen, but each one displayed the lives of his oblivious creations. Live recordings of the Experiments were projected by armory shelves, medical support blocks, training dummies, and numerous other times. Their words flowed into Jumba's ears like a song in his own language, which seemed to him like English. He allowed himself to be distracted by the sounds of his work, until he was dragged down from the clouds by a single word.

"Jacques-"

He jerked upright, perhaps thanks to his heart leaping into his throat. His four eyes scanned the wall of screens until they landed on one; the perspective was from a camera the tenth had unknowingly placed under the 221st's injured foot. He listened intently to the words pouring out of the screen, doing his best to block the more pleasing sounds out of his attention. He scrambled for one of the many pens and pieces of paper that lay scattered across the tables bordering the room. Every Experiment visible or heard on the screen found their way onto the paper, alongside long-finished blueprints for Experiment 103. As he scribbled, he listened with dread to the treacherous words these Experiments spoke.

"I've suspected this of Jumba for a while now..."

"I remember someone with a red coat and long ears..."

"There might be other wankers in the Federation who know a thing or two..."

"This might even link to that cancelled Experiment; 89!"

"We'll have 300 and 150 in on this, as well,"

"Rebellion-ception!"

Jumba properly scanned the paper after they had disbanded; '010, 149, 150, 221, 300, 345, 621, 624, 626.' He stared blankly in disbelief at it, as if one of them were in the room, holding a gun at his head that very instant. Finally, though, the will to go to his partner found him, and he turned and rushed out of his study, into an enormous circle of a room. "Jacques!" He called down the shallow pit in the room's center. A long pair of filthy, rabbit-like ears poked out from beneath a long, metal board, alongside several noisy sparks. "Jacques!" Louder this time, and now he was heard. The creature who emerged from beneath the board was very much like a giant Earth gerbil; large teeth, whiskers, and hellish red eyes. He was completely clothed in a similar red, and a coat of the same color lay on the steps leading down to where he worked.

"Vas Captain Gantu's assassination successful?" He asked immediately. He spoke with a German accent that might've sounded pleasing at one point, but was now like a snake that coiled around Jumba's head.  
>"N-Not as such, I'm sorry. They did come close, but he ultimately escaped; some botched up sacrifice plan on his part,"<br>"Hmph...Zhe schweinhund and his pride. I should've just sniped him myself before I left..." Through clenched teeth, before looking back to his work.  
>"He mentioned you to the team I sent out!" This pulled Jacques' attention back to him in a manner not unlike Jumba's had been when he discovered the treachery.<br>"Vell, zhen..." He darted out from under the metal the board, sweeping up his coat, and throwing it on his back as he ascended the stairs to Jumba. "I might've guessed zhat he'd have mentioned me. Vhich Experiments? And vhat else have zhey discovered?"  
>"I've written down the ones who know..." He showed him the list, which was quickly snatched from him. "They're also suspicious of my promises to them, and will be searching for more information themselves,"<br>"Hm, zhey vill be quite disappointed..." Jacques quickly scanned the list. "621 is not surprising, nor is 624...345 and 10, though..." He folded the list up. "Perhaps your observing equipment is not the sentimental waste I thought it vas, Jookiba." He then darted straight for Jumba's study.  
>"W-W-What do you suggest be done now?!"<br>"Vell, as early as it is after zhe most recent addition..." The smaller scientist trailed off, lost in his own overcrowded head. He pulled paper and pencil randomly from the room just as Jumba had done, and then leaned against the nearest table. Within seconds, the top of the page was scrawled along the top with 'Experiment #627.'


	5. Selection

Chapter 3:  
>Selection<p>

**I**

"Your Highness!" The head of a shark burst into the ship, which was only barely larger than the pod now parked beside it. Captain Gantu, emitting a repellent, burning scent from his Swiss cheese of a uniform, marched his way hurriedly into the down the short hall, stopping at the figure who was hidden by the back of a black chair. Eight screens were visible to both him and the one in the chair.

"I take it you have urgent news, Captain," The figure, who had the soft but strict voice of an old woman, said passively.  
>"Yes, I-Well, no, not urgent-"<br>"So it would seem. The only urgent news would be that you'd never be able to deliver; it seems your suicide mission was unsuccessful,"  
>"It most likely was. I couldn't find out if any of the abominations were lost after Number 621 shot me-"<br>"Which explains the scent of charred cloth." She felt a pause, which told her that he was glancing down at the vest of armor exposed by the bullet holes. "I did tell you that it was a foolish idea,"  
>"Yes, well-"<br>"I only approved it because I knew you wouldn't be lost,"  
>Gantu's eyes narrowed. "...I was, however, able to discover that the terrorists have no knowledge of Jacques Hamsterviel." This, after a moment, prompted the figure to rise slowly out of her chair, and turn to face Gantu. She was about half his height, and slender enough to be obscured behind a street light. Her head was tall, and her skin was a grayish blue, like the Earth's ocean on a cloudy day. Despite the position she held in the Federation, she wore a black uniform not dissimilar to Gantu's, albeit with gold plates on the shoulders.<br>"No knowledge whatsoever?" The Grand Councilwoman inquired.  
>"None. When I held Numbers 624 and 626 back in a final attack, I mentioned 'Jacques' as the designer to Jookiba's creator, and they were completely clueless,"<br>"Number 626 has arrived already? Seems a rather hasty update..." She slowly approached the Captain, holding her branch-like arms down in front of her narrow form, pensive. "And this was when their deaths seemed imminent?"  
>"Very. As I said before, 621 returned and shot me before rescuing them,"<br>"Then it would seem redundant for them to feign such ignorance." She stepped to the left, as if wanting to pace the moderate-sized room, but this was the only step taken. "Eight years of terrorism, and yet they've no knowledge of one their inventors..."  
>"This could be crucial in us finally stamping out Hamsterviel, Jookiba, and their army of abominations!"<br>"How so, Captain?"  
>"I'm sorry, Your Highness?"<br>"How would you use this to 'stamp out' out enemies?" Though Gantu could not see it, he was now wearing a confused expression not unlike the ones he'd seen 626 and 624 wear not long ago.  
>"I'm...Sure I could strategize something, Your Highness,"<br>"That is what your position asks of you, Captain,"  
>"...Perhaps if we explained to some of them about Hamsterviel!? They might form a truce with us-"<br>"A realistic strategy, if you could, Captain. You do realize that these 'Experiments' have been born and raised to antagonize us, why would they ever align with us, even temporarily? If anything, they'd line you, me, Jookiba, and Hamsterviel up against a wall and execute us all equally,"  
>"...Yes, of course, Your Highness," Gantu grumbled.<br>"...The part about informing them, however..." She turned back to the eight screens behind her, a slight finger against her dry chin.

**II**

"Well, this was disappointingly easy." 626 could feel his victim's earthquake of a pulse on his elbow. He ignored the screaming of the confused and terrified idiots behind him, while 345 used whatever creative methods his body would allow to block their escape out the two tall, automatic, glass doors. 221 stood beside the blue veteran, allowing electricity to flow through his hands like a complex string puzzle. "Not so much as a bodyguard," 626 scoffed. "He might as well have jumped into deep space by himself, eh, man?"  
>"I think he and his mates still wanted to give us our fun," 221 shrugged. He sported a smirk that was as villainous as a murderer and as excited as a child.<br>"Maybe. Still, I'd have thought congressmen like ol' squirmy here would know better than to take a family trip to the museum." The blue Experiment smiled ominously at the leather-jacket clad creature pressed against the wall under his elbow. The politician's gray skin was becoming moist with more sweat than he had ever worked up in his career.  
>"Maybe that's why they ought to be taken out of office, huh?"<br>"True, true..." 626 slightly relaxed his arm. "Mr. Zorek, do you know anyone who worked in the Federation named Jacques? Perhaps, say, a decade ago, more or less?"

"I-I-I d-don't-" The congressman heard all he needed to in the names and the tone. The two Experiments thought he had the voice for a politician; deep and naturally loud. Unfortunately, it wasn't his voice that they cared for. "Th-There isn't! I d-don't know a J-Jacques, I swear!" He held his right hand up, his eyes becoming much like his sweating forehead. 626 snorted at them.

"Yeah, I didn't think so," He grumbled.  
>"Hopefully 621 and 624 have better luck with his buddy," 221 suggested, equally disappointed.<br>"Or 625 does, by some amazing stroke of luck,"  
>"Wouldn't be the sort of stroke I'd like him to have, though," He earned, not for the first time, a chuckle from his friend.<p>

"Guys, watch your backs!" 345 reminded them of their situation just in time, as someone had broken away from the moronic crowd, and attempted to strike him with some long blade. "Oop, never mind," The clown added when he saw the sword had no effect.

"Uh, 221?" 626 began lightly. "You think you could take care of Zorek? I need to sorten out Captain Courageous here." He pulled his arm back, dropping the coughing congressman to the floor.

"No problem, mate." The yellow Experiment wrapped his sparking claws around Zorek's neck, holding him up above his as the weakling struggled. At the same time, 626 turned to his unsuccessful attacker, grabbing the blade of his sword with both hands and folding it like paper. While the Experiment did this, he could properly see the brave idiot. He was a white Human, found on Earth, and if he was frightened, he obscured it impressively. His shirt was blank, and he wore a fiery red color of what seemed like a skirt.

"For goodness' sake, Jamie!" The man was suddenly pulled from 626's reach by a speedy associate. He was much older, and sported a messy moptop, a black jacket, and a floppy, blue bowtie. He seemed like some galactic hobo to 626. With him was a girl in a sleek, black and red dress, and short, black hair under a thin, crimson braid. She brought the two men out of their bickering to see the blue Experiment approaching them with an ominous scowl.

"Ah, yes, well..." The older man muttered, smiling nervously at his oppressor, before attempting to flee with his companions. A certain pink creature with two antennae, however, had dropped within their path.

"Hey, they've redecorated the museum since last time," 624 chirped, momentarily distracted by the many Federation flags, with the familiar spider-like symbol; one large, black oval connecting multiple smaller, similarly-colored 'planets', against a white backdrop, hanging on the walls. Her hands and antennae sported blood like gloves. "I don't like it." Her attention quickly returned to the hobo.

"Oh, come now," He stammered angrily, finding a golden creature and an agitated green one, with silver hair in a mohawk and red dotting his face like blatant and sizable freckles, now approaching him from the east and west respectively. "Surely, a more reasonable solution other than violence exists!"

"Your pal in the skirt didn't seem to agree," 221 sneered, his foot on a motionless Zorek.

"This is a kilt, ya slimy-!" The younger man, audibly from Earth's Scotland, objected nobly, before being stopped by his older associate. His understanding of the Experiments' language forged a spark of curiosity within them.

"Besides," 626 ignored the kilted man's overruled protests. "All of you only ever seem to learn in one way." He now had all four hands out, each ready to seize the three idiots and then pass the job on to his imagination.

"I know there's a way out of this, Doctor," The woman whispered, obscuring her dread less successfully than the Scottish man. "I just need-"

"I know, Zoe. There is always a way," The hobo whispered back. "Now, when I say run..." The sound of shattering glass suddenly roared from across the room.

"OPEN FIRE!"

"RUN!"

Plasma flew through the air at the Experiments. 221 and 624 dodged them like restless flies past a descending newspaper, while 621 shot another out of the air like a starling. 626 caught two like baseballs, ignoring the three foolish, escaping civilians. He charged forward, acting like a shield from the sickly green projectiles to his following allies. He sped around several tall statues and glass cases that filled the museum, before coming up to the two leading soldiers, one of which was only about an inch and a half taller than him. The soldier's height, however, only made for a more satisfying uppercut. The other soldier then found himself out of the now-broken window he had entered through,and then out of the museum's surrounding oxygen field, all thanks to 626's back. The rest of the unit was claimed by either bolts of electricity, a slam and a toss from an antennae, or flawlessly aimed gunfire.

"345?!" 626 called over the howling of terrified bystanders.  
>"Yeah?!"<br>"Is there a chance that a Federation intercom is around here somewhere?!"  
>"Uh..." The clown's white face reddened as he found the tall, pale creature who had wandered on four legs to an intercom formerly encased in glass. "Well, it is a Federation museum,"<br>"Fair point. No worries..." 626 gazed at the higher parts of the walls, decorated with infinite Federation flags. As he found them, an idea crawled into his brain like some malevolent insect. "You guys took care of Beol?" He turned to 624 and 621.

"Yeah, he was just leaving. We found him outside. He was a real wiggler," 624 began.  
>"Fortunately, I can shoot a moving target," The marksman finished, his knife-like teeth peeking out in an evil smirk.<br>"Nothing about Mr. Long-Eared, Red-Coat-Wearing Jacques, though. Even when I sung to him, he had nothing,"

"Yeah, 221, 345 and I didn't have much luck, either, as per usual. Anyway, before we go..." 626 turned to his elastic ally. "We're done, 345! Think you could snatch me down a flag quickly before we go?!"

"Absolutely-tootly, 626!" He stepped on a few heads making his way over the crowd. He approached his allies with legs extended like stilts, sending an arm back to retrieve a random flag off the wall, before returning to his normal height by the Experiments. "Here ya go!" 345 handed 626 the flag using both rubbery hands.

"Excellent...Now, back to the roof." The blue Experiment threw the flag onto his shoulder as 345 brought a third arm out to wrap around 626 and 624, while his top left took 221 and 621. His right arm then grabbed the rim of what was once a glass skylight, but was now a rectangular hole in the ceiling.

"I hope 625's still by the pod," The clown said softly as he carried his comrades up like some unconventional elevator. He thought briefly that he heard a faint sound of an engine groaning, but quickly dismissed it as his own bizarre mind.

"By 'hope' you mean 'expect', right?" 221 joked, before giving an odd glance at 621.

"I'm not enjoying this position either, 221!" The green Experiment snapped, noticing the unusual look. Finally, they reached the flat rooftop, which overlooked a multitude of vertical, metal docks between dark rainbows of parked pods.

"You're really soft, 626," 624 cheerfully complimented when 345 released them.  
>"Pfft, I'll show you..." The blue Experiment waved the flag in front of him to make it straight again.<br>"What?"  
>"Just watch, and then you'll see who the real softie is!"<br>"No, no!" She guffawed. "I meant your fur, while 345 was smushing us!"  
>"Oh! Sorry,"<br>"It's Okay,"  
>"See, I thought you were calling me sensitive, when you really meant-"<br>"Did ya wanna do your flag thingy?"  
>"Yes! Um, 221?"<p>

"...Yeah, mate?" The electric Experiment brought his smirking face from his palm, where the misunderstanding had buried it.

"Can you set fire to this?"  
>"Ah, I see. You are a clever little sod, ain't ya?!" Hardly wobbling, let alone grasping the flag and ruining its orderliness, 221 let a thin bolt fly off of his foot, scorching the flag's end like a campfire.<br>"Thanks, man." 626 pulled up the burning blanket and darted to the edge of the roof. Some of the pods had fled, other idiots were still hurrying into theirs, and the rest were bustling around out of foolish curiosity. Typical. Gripping one corner in his fist, he thrust the dying flag, now half fire, as if it were his own. The idiots finally silenced, their wide, moist, and terrified eyes attracted like flies to the burning symbol. 626 quickly found 221 and 345 to his right, and 624 and 621 to his left, staring triumphantly down at the intimidation below. "Remember, remember..." He announced. In that moment, the fire in each of them roared ferociously like a lion, fueled by both the real flames above them, and the Grand Councilwoman's supporters beneath them. After another second was spent savoring their fire, the Experiments' flag was floating down to the weaklings like an angel falling out of heaven, while the army of five retreated out of view, towards their pod across the roof.

"What gave you that idea, 626?" 621 inquired as they moved, a look of sick satisfaction upon his face.

"Well, I was just a little annoyed that the Federation essentially made a museum of their own ego," 626 answered. "All those 'guns that killed this' and the flags and such, I just thought that hitting them in that area would send a good message,"

"Certainly showed all those pillocks their place, eh?" 221 threw an arm over 626's shoulder, and the gesture was returned. "We oughta make that our own flag!"  
>"What, just their flag but on fire?"<br>"Yeah!"  
>"Don't you think that's a bit silly and, what's the word? Plagiarist?"<br>"...Hey, it was your idea." They arrived at the pod, where, to their usual absence of surprise, a porky, yellowish-brown Experiment awaited, sitting on a young citizen with a round head and light blue skin. All seven fingers on one hand clasped a long, dark green baton.

"There you are!" 625 exclaimed sarcastically. "What kept you?"

"Work," 221 retorted. "It's pretty engaging, you should give it a try sometime,"

"What do you think I was doing here, smartass?" He gestured to his seat.

"I don't think it's 221's ass that's in question, here," 345 cracked, earning a raised eyebrow from the mentioned Experiment.

"Who is that, 625?" 621 questioned, his former satisfaction lost for the time being.

"Some kid doin' parkour. Now, though, he's my new chair,"

"L-Look, guys, I-I don't want any trouble!" The teenager begged, tears and sweat indistinguishable on his face. "I-I'll leave, I promise, I-"

"What do you guys think?"

"Leave him behind the thrusters," 621 ordered blankly. "Let him burn if he's not quick enough,"

625 shrugged and rose slowly from his humanoid seat. "Man, I can't feel my butt anymore! You guys couldn't off those two congress trogs any sooner?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, 625," 624 began, pulling the pod's door open for the others. "We didn't know your butt was priority." She didn't enter until the more intelligent Experiments were already inside. 625 would've already entered, but he was stopped by a single, strictly raised hand from 624, who then entered first. An unwise action, as 625 took the disgusting opportunity to slap the nearest part of 624's body as he followed. "Hey, 625?" A chirp when a tirade would be expected. 624 turned around, a typical smile on her face, and hit the pervert with a powerful right hook coated in wet crimson. 625 was about to turn around and retaliate, but the first of these was done for him when he was struck again by someone else. Opening his eyes to their pathetic limit, he found 626 glaring at him next to 624, holding up a clenched and bloody fist.

"Did...Did you both give me a black eye?!" 625 exclaimed in disbelief. "You trogs gave me two black eyes?! Why, I-...Why don't I pay ya back?!" The pink and blue Experiments were ready for him.

"Actually, I think you need a time-out, 625!" 345 scolded; his bouncy voice was one of the least intimidating in the whole army of 626. A bright green arm coiled around 625 and pinned his arms. "621, can you sit in front with 626 and 624, please?" He pulled 625 into the back seat with himself and 221, while the marksman complied. "And if you try to be naughty again, 625, 221 will give a great, big electric shock!" As joyous as ever. "Right, buddy?"

"You bet, elastico," The electric Experiment replied with a malicious smirk. "And how bad the shock is depends on how naughty you're being." His hands traded thin bolts with each other.

"Why the hell do I keep getting stuck with you anti-Jumba trogs?" 625 grumbled.

"I dunno, why do you keep being horny when you're always beaten up for it?" 624 was static as she took the wheel, driving the pod away from the ego museum. "Thanks for the help, you guys," She called back to the clown and the electrician.

"Anytime, 624!" 345 merrily replied.

"You alright, 624?" 626 asked before too long.  
>"Oh, yeah, nothing new from Sergeant Slappy back there," She calmly replied. "Thanks for the little tag-teaming back there." She gave him a look even kinder than normal, like the sun instead of the blue sky around it.<br>"Anytime. It was my pleasure,"  
>"I'll bet. You've gotten a lot better at your punches,"<br>"Never leave the arm extended too long afterwards, right?"  
>"Exactly right!"<br>"Yeah, I've learned my lesson after our practice 2-on-2 against 149 and 150,"  
>"No kidding." They both scooted closer to each other almost automatically.<p>

"It's silly, isn't it?" 621 lowly added.  
>"What is?"<br>"That we practice against each other. We're not going to fight against our own kind, are we? Aside from small squabbles like the one we've just seen, of course,"

"Hey, they started it!" 625 objected, rising from his seat. He was jolted back down with a thick bolt from 221's finger, which was then blown over like a pistol's barrel.

"Thank you, 221." 621 was answered with a cocky shrug.

"Yeah, it is a bit odd, isn't it?" 626 concurred. "Wouldn't be the first odd thing about Jumba, though,"

"You've got that right,"

"So you and 149 did a training fight?" 625 butted in. "Wish I'd known. I could 'a sold tickets." He earned another jolt, slightly thicker than the previous one.

"You don't really get how this works, do ya, wanker?" 221 cracked.

"We'd know about all of Jumba's 'odd things' if somebody out there knew-" 345's eyes then widened in remembrance that 625 was right next to him. He noticed 221 making an anxious cutting motion along his neck. "His...Favorite...Color,"

"A bit slurry, there, Three-Four-F-OW!" Another shock. "What's your friggin' problem, asshat?! I didn't do anything!"

"That was practice,"

"Too close, 345," 621 whispered back. "We'll talk about it back at base, alright?" He received a collection of rapid nods in response.

**III**

"Alright, I'm gonna report you smegheads' abuse to Jumba!" 625's fur was smoking like a cigar when he exited the pod. His exclamations rendered the usual bustling inaudible.

"Knock yourself out, porky," 221 smirked, walking past him with 345. "Oh, and mind your damn language,"

621 said nothing to 625, simply continuing on his own way. 626 and 624 were about to do likewise, but 625 wouldn't have it. "And I'm throwing in these gifts you two gave me, as well!" He firmly pointed to his darkened eyes.

"Really?" The pink Experiment kept walking, unintimidated. "Maybe add the part about lazing around the whole mission, and then getting frisky at the end?"

"I-That's different,"

"Exactly!" 626 added. "You _deserved_ what you got!"  
>"I didn't even do anything to you, 626, so can it!"<br>"I know; you didn't do anything on that mission, period!  
>"You're just getting pissed at me for wanting 624, as well!"<br>"...What are you on about?" The blue Experiment was putting more effort into not blushing than retorting.  
>"Well, you always train with her, most of your missions are together, you both usually sit together in a pod, and even outside of all those things, it's always-"<p>

"Sounds like it's you that's pissed, 625," 624 cut in cunningly. "Pissed that 626 isn't into sandwich breath,"

625 turned crimson from a mixture of fury and embarassment. "There's nothing wrong with having a sandwich,"

"Yeah, there's nothing wrong with having _a_ sandwich." She stepped forward and tapped 625's yellow gut. "Hey, 626, why don't we go visit 10?"

"I think that's a great idea, 624." He followed her away, leaving 625 boiling like a tea kettle, before turning to contact Jumba in the redundant hope of distracting himself.

"Look at you," 624 chirped on their way to the medical ward. "Weeks ago, you'd never come back at 625 like that!"  
>"Well, to be fair, you did kinda land the final blow on him there,"<br>"About his sandwich addiction?"  
>"No, well, I meant about fancying me,"<br>"Oh, yeah," She laughed, which created an inexplicable warmth within 626's furry stomach. "What better way to come back at his remark about us fancying each other, eh?"  
>"Yeah, ridiculous..." They both found themselves becoming crimson, looking at each other as if reflections of the same innocent expression. The warmth in their stomachs only seemed to intensify, and the gibberish voices in the background fell on deaf ears.<p>

"'Ello, comrades!" 221 cut into the moment from behind them, throwing an arm around each. "Sorry, but I couldn't help hearing you two givin' the flab-monster hell back there," He ruffled the fuzz on top of their heads. "I've gotta say, pal," He looked to the blue Experiment. "You sure have compensated for 624's successor. Why don't we just retcon him and then you'll be Number 625,"  
>"Well, I don't want to have to learn to answer to a different name. And when 627 comes down, and everyone starts saying '626' again, it'll get even more confusing,"<br>"True, true,"

"221!" An all-too-familiar plump form with one metal hand suddenly appeared in front of them like a terrifying apparition.  
>"Woah, cool your jets, 150, what's the matter?"<br>"It's 149! She tried to hack a booby-trapped device on our assignment and, well, 10's not sure if she can save him!"  
>"What in-Oh, BOLLOCKS!" He flew off to the left like an electric bat out of hell before the others knew it. They all ran to the medical ward after him; they would've burst through the door, but 221 had beaten them to it.<p>

"Damn, what happened to her, 150?!" 626 panicked.  
>"She pulled these wires out and then all this plasma got in her eyes and mouth,"<br>"Oh, plasma, isn't it always the friggin' plasma?!"

"How is she, 10?!" The golden Experiment emitted sparks as he sweated.  
>"W-What?!" 10 was at the very end of the room, near a long, black counter with both a stove and a sink, gripping a tall pot in both hands.<br>"Why in the galaxy are you not fixing up my poor 149?!"  
>"S-S-She isn't here! I'm sorry! I don't know what you mean!" He hid himself behind the pot, shaking in fear of a thousand volts hitting him at any moment.<br>"DO I LOOK IN THE MOOD TO BE-" Before even a stomp could be taken towards the petrified medic, a small but rough hand shot out from under one of the many beds like a bullet, and grasped 221's ankle. Reaching to 626, 624, and 150 for dear life after he'd fallen to the floor, the electrician quickly found himself violently pulled out of sight with an embarrassing yelp. The three at the door, though, had recognized the hand; 624 and 626 smirked while 150 chuckled, but not as powerfully as the southern cackling that sounded from underneath the egg-like bed. 149 then emerged, laughing like a hyena. She turned around and helped what looked like 221's ghost up. "Good one there, you little devil," He panted.

"As good as your 'back pod seat scare?!'"  
>"Definitely,"<br>"There it is! 150!" She held a hand out for her fellow prankster, who gladly obliged the high-five with his flesh-and-fur hand.

"So, 221?" 626 calmly and slyly approached his pale ally, throwing an arm over his shoulder as he had done to him before the fright. "On the way to the museum, you were saying how you wouldn't be scared 'if Captain Gantu became a satanic demonspawn', and yet that little scream you made when your girlfriend touched your foot..."

"Alright, first, there's a difference between 'touching' and 'death grip followed by dragging across the floor'..." The light in his face slowly returned. "Second, if you'll recall the shriek you gave when you got a face-full of plasma on your third trip out?"  
>"Yeah, but that was <em>weeks<em> ago. Yours, however, was only _seconds_,"  
>"...Whatever..."<p>

"Aw, it's okay, sparky," 149 wrapped her arms around 221 and touched her small, red nose to his fuzzy cheek. "We didn't mean to scare ya,"  
>"Yeah, you did,"<br>"Alright, we did, but we were just muckin' around, ya know?"  
>"I know, I know, I'm just having a bit of after-scare grumpiness." He playfully returned the hug, his sopping tongue coming out to greet 149's face.<p>

"Hey, uh, guys?" 150 interrupted with a loud cough. "I'm gonna go bring 10 our of his hiding spot, alright? Seems like he nearly messed himself." He gestured to the pot at the end of the room, which seemed to have sprouted a skinny tail ending with bush, and a smooth, thick trunk.

"Ah, non!" A thick French accent sounded from a light gray Experiment in a bed near the end of the room, who had a bandage around his upper torso. He was the only patient in the room. "Dix!" 62 tried to reassure his frightened caretaker. "It's alright! Get back up!"

"We'll come with you, won't we, boys?" 149 added, receiving a pair of curt nods in response. Before leaving however, 221 was pulled aside by 624.

"Hey, 221? Can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Sure, 624. What's up?"

"Be gentle with him, now!" 149 called back in a teasing tone, moving onward with the others.

"I'm not promising anything!"  
>"So, you were saying?" 221 inquired. The pink Experiment didn't speak until her allies had taken a few more steps away.<br>"I've been a colossal nincompoop,"  
>"That's nothing new," He earned a careful smack on the back of the head as he chuckled.<br>"Smartass. I mean I've done something really stupid, and not deliberately for a laugh, for once,"  
>"i.e.?"<br>"Well...It's my blue protege over there,"  
>"What about 'im?"<br>"...I like him a lot. I like him so much that I actually kinda hate him for being so likable,"  
>"You fancy 626? What's wrong with that? Him and his soft, blue fur and his big, strong arms and his huge, adorable eyes and his-"<br>"Yeah, yeah, I know,"  
>"Then what's the problem?"<br>"It's distracting is the problem! We're supposed to be bringing down a government, and it's not at all helping that I've got this crap racking my brain now. It's like-..." She trailed off, suddenly looking off at 150's back. Her arms flapped down beside her as she drifted off to some other, more enticing place.  
>"Like what?"<br>"...Nothing." She returned.  
>221 smiled and shook his head. "You really are a colossal nincompoop, then. Look, 624, we're all gonna head the new order together, right?"<br>"Right,"  
>"And what kind of leader would you be if you can't be honest with the people ruling alongside you? You can't be shady and hiding like Gantu and the Councilwoman, can you?"<br>"...Good point,"  
>"I know you hate being distracted, and you hate us being distracted even more, that's why 149 and I piss you off so much." They both chuckled. "But we got into it because we decided that's how we wanted to rule. We've come up with new laws and all sorts of stuff,"<br>"Really?" She raised an eyebrow.  
>"Yeah, we have, like 'All citizens must attend jujitsu classes every day,'"<br>"149's idea?"  
>"Yep. I came up with one called 'All pink Experiments must admit their feeling to all blue Experiments, because then, instead of being distracted, they can focus on the revolution as a partnership,'"<br>"...That's not a bad law,"  
>"You think?"<br>"Yeah...In fact, I think I'll go and obey it now...Thanks for your help, buddy." She playfully smacked him on the back a little too hard, and then approached 626. The stillness of her body paralleled with the pounding in her chest. She was nearly at the blue Experiment, but then suddenly went past him and reached the sink of the back counter, and began doing away with her gloves of blood.

"Hey, you alright, little guy?" 150 leaned down on way knee to find 10 against the floor behind the tall pot, his arms over his head as if an earthquake was occurring.

"Y-Yeah, I-I'll be okay..." He gently held the top of the pot and pulled himself to his feet. "I just thought 221 was gonna run up and electrocute me,"

"Sorry about that, 10." 149 scratched behind her head. "The whole thing was my idea, so it's all my bad,"

"Oh, it's alright, 149. I'm not even scared anymore,"

"You still look a little pale, 10," 626 observed the sheet-white color that substituted green on the medic's face.  
>"Yes, well, um...Hey, anyone want some soup?" He hurried to change the subject.<br>"Oh, thanks. What sort?"  
>"Just some Earthly chicken soup 62 found in a big kitchen on a military ship..." He pulled a stack of bowls from a cupboard a ways behind his head. Then he removed the pot's lid, releasing an aroma from heaven that traveled on smoke through the Experiment's nostrils.<p>

"I would very well prepare it myself," 62 called, though his bed was not far. "But 10 insisted that I rest,"

"Well, considering you had some plasma graze your side," The blue Experiment replied.  
>"True, true. Of course, you, six-cent-vingt-six, do not need to worry about plasma,"<br>"No, I don't,"  
>"Too bad I got one of the few plasma missions you missed out on,"<br>"Yeah. Good thing we have 10, though, huh?"

"I, uh, I do all I can." 10 scurried to 62 with one of the bowls filled with soup.

"Ah, très bien, mon ami! Merci!" The patient gladly downed half of the soup with one sip. "It is generous of Jumba to allow us all this cooking equipment, is it not? Someday, Dix, you must enlighten me in food preparation."

"Maybe when the Grand Councilwoman's gone." The medic returned and scooped five more bowls with soup with assistance from his spare arms and trunk, as 624 and 221 had joined them. Each was taken and consumed just as quickly as 62 had.

"Aw, thanks, buddy," The pink Experiment chirped, licking a dark mustache of liquid off her lip. She opened her mouth again as she turned to 626, but the jumpy 10 spoke quicker than she could.

"Oh! Any updates on Jacques?" He spoke quietly to avoid the feasting 62's earshot.

"No, sorry," 221 answered.

"Those two congressmen didn't give us crap," 626 continued. "And after dealing with some hobo and his skirt-wearing friends, we found one 625 sitting on some dumb teenager back by the pod,"

"Our trip to the boot camp also turned up jack and shit," 149 added before taking a heavy sip. "And jack had left the quadrant,"

"Ah..." 10 replaced the lid on the pot. "Doesn't seem like any new info is turning up. We might need to try something else,"

"Our best bet is what it's always been; finding Gantu again or the Grand Councilwoman," 624 responded, regaining a tall stature that had been repressed by 626's presence. "Unless, of course, we can find a way to Jumba's lab-"

"EXPERIMENTS 010, 149, 150, 221, 300, 345, 621, 624, AND 626, REPORT FOR YOUR NEXT ASSIGNMENT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!" Jumba's voice exhaled throughout the base like an exhausted, mechanical echo. Both the quantity and choice of Experiments were an oddity to them all, but one of these things took the color that had only recently returned to 10's face, and transformed him into a sculpture of pure ice.

"Heh-Hey, your first time out, 10!" 221 exclaimed merrily, stepping by him to drop an arm around his shoulder. "About eight years late, but still!" He only then noticed the water that peeked out from under 10's moon-sized eyes. "You alright, mate?"

"10, is there a pr-" 150 reached his normal hand out to the stature, but 10 darted away like a terrified rodent to an empty bed. All but his clawed feet vanished underneath it. "10?"

626, 624, 149, and 150 exchanged concerned looks, while 221 approached the green feet protruding from the bed. "Come on, 10! There's nothing to be scared of!" No response. "You'll be able to spend some time out of the base, get some fresh air..." The feet began to scoot away, but were unfortunately slower than the electrician's powerful hands.  
>"Eep!"<br>"At least come and hear the briefing!" He struggled to pry the medic from the bed leg that he clung to, making him hover over the floor as he pulled him by his legs, as if he were sucking him into a whirlpool.

"221, let go of his feet," 624 ordered softly, walking around to the opposite end of the bed.

"...Alright, sorry." 221 complied, and 10's feet immediately vanished under the bed.

"Hey, 10?" 624 spoke softly as she put her stomach to the floor to be level with 10. The medic lay curled up on the ground like a cat. He blinked more frequently than usual, and his fingers seemed to run about his hands like the stupid, panicked citizens back at the museum. "You a little scared?"  
>"I am...Why would Jumba call me out all of a sudden? What does he need me out there for?"<br>"I guess it's a special mission, and it involves something only you can do,"  
>"Why me, though? I don't understand..."<br>"Well, tell you what; let's take you down to the pod bay to hear what it is..." She held her palm up on the metal floor to her friend. "We'll be with you every step of the way..." It wasn't long before 10 had complied 624's hand, gripping it with a tightness that was not unfamiliar to her. The green medic was led slowly out from under the bed, and into the sight of his awaiting allies.

"C'mon, bud..." 626 calmly approached him, placing a hand gently on his shoulder.

"Bonne chance, dix!" 62 called after his six departing comrades. Just as they were leaving, 626 caught a grin and a wink coming from 624, and cheekily returned it.

"...Were you winking at me?" 10 shyly asked his reddening supporters.

**IV**

621, his usual arsenal already clinging to him, and a face cleaned for more circulatory filth, 300, and 345 were lined up when the others reached the loading bay. This would've been peculiar, but the sight of the hesitant 10 rationalized it.

"Your very first mission, 10!" 345 cheered. "Isn't it exciting?!"

"Um...A little bit, I guess." The green Experiment felt his stomach, which now seemed like a cage restraining thousands of vampiric butterflies.

"I'm assuming you all found that announcement as suspicious as we did?" 300 took a step towards them.

"No kiddin'," 149 replied. "Not just askin' for poor ol' 10, but calling nine of us instead of six..."

"Then you understand what it implies?" 621 approached them now. "It's either something huge, or..." He lowered his voice as he leaned forward. "Jumba's discovered our little side-project,"

"It might be," 626 added. "He has only called down us involved in it, and none of his stronger supporters like 625 or 158 or 276,"

"We thought likewise," The blob responded. "Regardless, why idle with curiosity when we can have him elaborate himself?" He motioned to the intercom just by the large, lifeless screen. 300's allies all nodded, and he approached it. "We are all prepared for our debriefing, Dr. Jumba." The screen flickered on almost immediately, and four eyes appeared underneath a moist brow.

"Ah, good, good, great! You've all arrived," Jumba gasped, out of breath, slowing down in his seat and holding his hands still in front of him.  
>"You seem pressured, Doctor," 300 condescended Jumba effortlessly, to his comrades' typical amusement.<br>"Yes, well..." Though his strict exterior was impervious, 300 always smirked inside when Jumba made no attempt on his attitude. "Now, three extra, one of them being our fine caretaker; you must all think it unusual, and I'm sure you'd all like an answer." This now came as a surprise. Everyone's ears perked up, as if jerked awake from a nightmare.

"That'd be nice," 221 cracked.

"Well, I summoned you nine because you are the best and most skilled of the six-hundred-and-twenty...three that we have, and you will all be needed for this mission to be a success. It's more important now than it has ever been..." A moment's pause, to the Experiments' agony. "I have pinpointed the location of the Grand Councilwoman's ship..." The statement collected a gasp, some brief, others stronger, from each mouth facing it. Even 300 was moved from his solid posture. 10 took a step back, but was able to return it with a friendly nudge from both 626 and 624. "It took me ages, but I finally have the coordinates. I've sent them to pod #01. I know you're all quite familiar with the gravity of this assignment, correct?" Multiple curt nods were given in response. Jumba hoped he could comfort his creations with a smile, but this was made difficult by two particular ones. 300 and 621 looked right at him. He was not unaccustomed to the blob's old eyes and the marksman's cold ones, but now there was something different. They locked right onto his own, as if they had agreed to each take two of his four eyes. Their gaze penetrated him in that moment, though he was not sure if they discovered anything within. All he knew was that the opaque statue that they had been staring at everyday for years was shattered, and they now saw directly through him.

"We shall head off now," 300 said solidly. "Do dry your forehead, Jumba." He left without waiting for Jumba to end the transmission, leaving with 621 into the first pod on the left.

"Come on, 10," 624 guided her friend gently by the hand, while 626 waited for them to enter after the others. "We can do it. We'll teach you, alright? Nothing to worry about,"

"OK...I'm OK, I..." He stepped up to enter with 626, but then he stopped. He turned his trunked head back to the screen, where a sweating Jumba was still watching them. "I..." His lip hung open, being far ahead of his words. "...I don't like you." He finally said to Jumba, before finding a seat next to 626.

Jumba flinched with curious shock as the green caretaker left his sight. 624 became the last one in the pod, and she shut the door with a final glare into the four eyes. The screen still survived even after the pod had rocketed into the darkness. Jumba buried his face into his meaty hands; the debriefing had been more taxing than he had foreseen, but even that was not the plan's conclusion. What came next was nigh impossible, but it was essential. Once he had collected himself, he reached for the thin, grey microphone that sat not far from him on his once-paper-coated desk. "Experiment 625, can you report to the pod bay, please?" The Experiment in question arrived in less time than Jumba took to take one breath.

"All set, boss?"

"...Yes, yes, everything's prepared," Jumba answered firmly. "The traitors are gone, all you need to do now is make sure everyone gets to the new base,"  
>"Alright, then. You got it!" The plump Experiment was about to head for his 613 allies.<br>"You, however..." This brought him back. "I want to come over here,"  
>"Over there? Really?!"<br>"Yes, after all the help you've been in monitoring the traitors in the field and such, I feel I should reward you. Think of it as a promotion,"  
>"A promotion? Well, thanks, boss! W-What kind of stuff will I be doing?!"<br>"You'll be giving some much-needed assistance on a few non-Experiment projects. Also, there's somebody who'd like to meet you,"  
>"...Oh, right." 625 tapped the side of his scarlet nose. "Him. I gotcha,"<br>"Yes, 'him.' Now, the other Experiments?"  
>"Oh, right..." 625 returned to the main room of the base, finding multiple rainbows of varying shapes of Experiments either mingling, exercising, or a few sleeping against a wall. "EVERYONE!" His obnoxious Brooklyn voice took everyone's attention like military trainees from slumber. "JUMBA NEEDS YA ALL TO GET TO THE POD BAY! A FEW THINGS ARE GOING TO BE CHANGING NOW!"<p>

**V**

The pod was quickly transformed into a sardine can with the three extra Experiments. 624, 10, 626, 149, and 221 were sandwiched together in the back seat, while 150, 345, 300, and 621 occupied the three-person front seat.

"Everyone else saw right through that mess of blubber, right?" 621 strictly inquired, his top two hands becoming like wet cloth to the steering wheel that he gripped.

"Probably one of the more transparent messes of blubber I've ever seen, actually," 221 replied.

"And sweatiest," 624 added. "Unless, of course, that's because he's actually tryin' to work off all that fat,"

"M-M-Maybe he's just nervous," 10 suggested. "I mean, it is a real delicate mission, right? He's probably j-just...Scared,"

"But you said you didn't like Jumba," 626 inquired. "Just before we left. You turned to him and said so,"

"W-Well, I-I just...I..." 10 spoke in the same disjointed patterns that his fingers moved in.

"Hey, c'mon, 10," 624 gently held her ally's furry shoulders and pulled him close, which was simple, given the quantity of free space left in the pod "You'll be alright. We've all gone through what you're feeling before. Just think about how great it is that it's not my first go, otherwise you'd be drenched in Past-Me's nervous sweat,"

"That sounds attractive, 624," 626 sarcastically responded.  
>"Oh, believe me, it was," More sarcasm.<br>"I'll bet..." This made 624 raise an eyebrow. "...Sorry, I'm somewhere else right now. What was I saying?"  
>"We were trying to calm 10 down,"<p>

"I _am _calm!" 10 objected. "I'm just...I'm just scared..." His head hung like a lifeless doll's. "I'm scared that...That I'll get hurt, maybe like 501 and 502...And what if one of you guys gets hurt, too, and I can't help you!"

"Oh, 10..." 624 and 626 both hugged him at once.

"We won't let anything happen to you," The blue Experiment warmly promised. "None of us will. You know, I was just as scared as you were on my first assignment,"

"I know," 10 sniffed through his long, handsome trunk. "You've told me six times; how Gantu trapped you and 624, and then 621 burst in and shot him,"  
>"Yes, and then-"<br>"345..." The clown turned around and put his hands in the air at the mention of his name. "-Managed to drop his arm down so you could escape before the ship exploded,"  
>"That's right, but-"<br>"You lagged behind, and 624 saved you by having you grab her leg and lift you away,"  
>"...How many times did you say?"<p>

"So you've got nothing to worry about, buddy," 624 chirped. "We'll be with you every step of the way,"

"Won't we, guys!?" 345 cheered. 149, 150, and 221 cheered back.

"Thanks, guys..." 10 was still possessed a ghostly, gray color.

"You're still scared, 10?" The clown inquired, leaning over the front seat. He got only a jittery nod in response.

"You said you were scared of being hurt or dying, 10?" 300 leaned over the seat as well; his powerful voice acted like a magnet to the Experiments' attention. "So you're scared of the military and the Grand Councilwoman, then? They're what you're scared of being hurt by?"  
>"...Y-Yes,"<br>"Then don't be. They're scared of _you_, 10. Do you understand?"  
>"Y-Yes, I do!" 10 forced a shivering hand into a firm salute.<br>"Good..." The blob turned back to face front. "There's to be no drama on this mission, is that clear?" He announced to the whole group. He did not need to raise his voice, as it boomed and echoed effectively throughout the pod on its own. "I understand 10 has his doubts, one of you is feeling left out, and two of you are experiencing a...realization..." 626 and 624 exchanged brief, awkward glances.

"You, uh, should really start asking permission to read our thoughts, 300," 150 muttered grumpily, becoming scarlet. He was ignored.

"Whether this mission is legitimate or just a wild goose chase for Jumba's own ends, it's far too important either way. Even if it is false, we need to at least confirm so; it's a wasted opportunity against the Councilwoman otherwise. It may even be an amalgam of both cases. Whatever it is, you are all to devote your utmost concentration. Is that clear?"

"It is." Everyone but 621 chimed.

"Good,"

"Alright, daddy," 221 whispered to get a snicker out of his girlfriend.

"Was I to hear that, 221?" 300's tone cut through the air like a blade through fruit.  
>"That, uh, was never actually considered, 300," In an imitation of the deep voice.<br>"Hmm...Smartass,"  
>"Now, was <em>I <em>to hear _that_?"  
>"Perhaps..."<p>

**VI **

If it was truly was the Grand Councilwoman's ship, it did not differ much from the thousands already fallen prey to the Experiments. It was still in the shape of a whale, though its most distinguishable trait was that it was only slightly smaller. "Not much strategic use," 621 explained when they were all on top of it. "It wouldn't need to be as big as most of the military vessels if it's only to hold the Grand Councilwoman,"

"'Only?'" 221 cracked. "Maybe also enough kitchens to put the 'Grand' in 'Grand Councilwoman?'"

"Man, you're on a roll today, hon." 149 playfully leaned against him.  
>"You ready to give the Tubby Councilwoman her just desserts?" He pulled her into a hug from behind and lifted her into the air with a simple heave, as if she were a piece of cardboard.<br>"If you haven't punned her to death by the time we find her!" She broke free and entered a handstand on his shoulders, from which they touched noses. 300 rolled his yellow eyes away from the sight, while 150 watched on distantly.

"Hey, 150?" 624 called quietly for his attention, and it was given to her with a distracted jolt. "Still not sure of it yet, huh?"  
>"...No...I know you said I should at least tell her, but I'm just struggling with the, uh...The wording..."<br>"Well, you seem to be getting on with her alright these days, like your prank on 221 earlier. Good one, by the way,"  
>"Yeah, well, things like that, it just feels...Strange...Having something like that inside me and then doing things like that with her as if it's not there...I just don't know what to do, 624,"<br>"...Tell you what?" She leaned an inch closer, whispering. "I'm gonna do something when we're done here. Just watch what I do then, and maybe you can use that as a reference,"  
>"...626?"<br>"How did you know?"  
>"You always train together, sit together in pods, you both get excited when you get missions together-"<br>"Alright, alright, I get the image...You'll give it a look?"  
>"A brief one, I guess,"<br>"OK, then..." She glanced off to where 626 and the now-floored 149 were attending to a closed hatch on the ship's hull.

"What's eatin' ya, Blue?" The small, green Experiment innocently inquired.  
>"Uh, nothing. Why do you ask?" He bent down and dug his claws around the edges of the hatch.<br>"Oh, I dunno, just, uh, seen ya lookin' at 624 a lot recently,"  
>"...And why is that your business?" He glared up at her, loosening his grip on the hatch.<br>"Well, it isn't, really..." She gave a brief glance over at 221, who was pretending to wait with his back facing them. He turned his head and sent her a wink. "You seem like ya know what you're doin', anyway, so, never mind..." She turned away with a casual shrug. The ocean blue Experiment was silent for a moment.  
>"What, um, should I say to her?"<br>"Anythin' that comes 'round." 149 spun back around. "Well, anythin' nice, ya know. Try not to be a 625,"  
>"Oh, for sure." They both chuckled. "But anything in particular? I mean, what did 221 say to you?"<br>"He just started yammerin' on, tryin' to make it sound all witty but failing miserably, so I just smooched 'im to shut him up,"  
>"Ah, well, I guess I'll try that," He smirked.<br>"Yeah. Or you can be clear and comprehensible; whatever flies your ship,"  
>"Right..." He found 149 kneeling down to his level.<br>"The thing is that it really don't matter in the end what you say to start it off. If she likes ya too, she won't care; she'll be too busy huggin' ya to death. The real hard part's finding out if it's for real or not, and that's already over for ya, ain't it?"  
>"...OK. Thanks, 149." He smiled, and it was returned. "Hey, did you just start this off so I'd ask you for advice?"<br>"Maaaaybe..."

"A rather prolonged time to open a door, 626?" 300 now approached them; his liquid-like form towered over them both like a sentient wave waiting to crash down on top of them. "You both recall our agreement on the way here?"  
>"Yeah." 626 answered a second ahead of 149, but they both had the same low, discomforted volume.<br>"Then I'll warn you this once to hold to it until the Councilwoman is eliminated." He nodded to the hatch, which 626 promptly tore off like paper.

"Right, there's one guy comin' up..." 149 immediately noticed one guard slowly making his way past the area beneath the hole. "I've got 'im, guys. You can hop in after me." She leaped into the hatch before anyone could respond, and landed with a loud, repulsive crack; her foot pressed the guard's head into the floor. 345 was the first to follow, stretching down like an extended accordion folding back up again, while the rest proceeded in one thick clutter. "Awright, then," 149 clapped her hands together and kicked her victim's head away from her foot. "If one 'a us were a Grand-friggin'-Councilwoman, where would we hide?"

621 was about to answer, but the loud, unsettling clicking of a plasma rifle cocking beat him to it a hundred times over, as if a choir of firearms singing against him. Glancing quickly around them, the Experiments discovered a sea of soldiers blocking either way down the hall. "You'll all find that there's a fine line between being surprising and being irritating," The marksman growled passively, taking a blaster in both right hands and stealing five soldiers from their company. Seven of the Experiment leaped into the air; 10 was carried up with a short yelp by 345. 626 stayed and took the storm of plasma. Bringing out his extra arms, he grasped four of the projectiles from the air. Using one soldier's head, he boosted himself over the chaos, and took out three fractions by chucking the plasma in mid-air. He landed with a fistful of it atop a flattened head, not unlike 149's foot had done earlier. He stood up to find 345 landing similarly, though he allowed the soldier to stick to his rubbery foot and be flung over the crowd.

"C'mon, Tenzy!" The clown let the ghostly, sweating, and tearing up 10 down, giving him a gentle nudge on the rear to move him forward.

"IuhIuhaheeeohahumah-" The medic seemed like a terrified child who had clumsily wandered into the battle. He found one soldier aiming at him from the right, and went down with his arms clasped over his head. 626 was quick to roundhouse kick 10's oppressor, who promptly went tumbling over the cowering, green body.

"You can finish him off, 10!" The blue Experiment quickly pulled 10 to his feet, pointing vigorously at the soldier who struggled to recover. With barely a look of shock and unease, let alone a word, 10 hurriedly stepped up to his first victim and punted him across the floor like a soccer ball, tripping up several enemies.

"Good going, 10!" 624 cheered, not far away, taking a guard's arms and legs in her antennae and pulling them away from each other, creating a satisfying snap before dropping them on the floor. "Here; watch what I do..." She turned and threw a right hook across an unfortunate guard's face. She followed up instantly with a left hook, and then jumping and spinning like a tornado in an uppercut, which made her opponent airborne.  
>"W-Wow..." 10 stared in terrified awe at the soaring soldier.<br>"Now you try,"  
>"W-W-What?! Oh! Alright, uh..." 10 pulled in a soldier aiming at the hovering, lightning-firing 221, and imitated 624's combo to the best of his ability. He did well until he stumbled after the spinning uppercut, from which his victim did not fly as high as 624's, but he recovered himself quickly.<br>"Awesome, 10!" 624 caught her descending opponent under the jaw with her foot, and another rewarding crack sounded. "Isn't he doing great, 626?!"

"Swimmingly!" 626 grabbed an unsuspecting soldier from behind in a bear hug, and threw his torso backwards in a suplex, hitting the soldier's neck on the hard, metal floor. "Way quicker than me right away, that's for sure!"

"I dunno, you improved pretty quickly." The pink and blue Experiment each grabbed an enemy's head, and smashed them together like two eggs, with a similar cracking result. "See?" She winked at him, and his ears descended behind his head. "Oopsie!" She yanked him downwards in time for a projectile to sail swiftly over their heads. Its firer aimed for another shot, but it was time unfortunately with 624's antennae pushing the barrel towards his neck.  
>"Are you really this good at saving me? Or are you staging these things with some of these trogs?" They both turned scarlet as their noses were but a centimetre apart. The flames of battle that had burned within them became gradually softer, as the centimeter became shorter and shorter. As they were distracted, what appeared to be a lion commonly found on Earth leaped over them, attacking a multitude of soldiers. A lucky one who was not claimed in the attack shot at the creature, who easily leaped over the bullet, transforming into a miniature, pale piranha which sunk its forest of teeth into his neck. When the fish was done feasting, it flopped back up and towards another part of the crowd, now becoming an enormous, steel pillar, under which more soldiers were flattened.<p>

"Would you two like to contribute to our victory today?" 300 sternly asked his two onlooking allies. "Or will you simply spectate?"  
>"You seemed to have it under control, 300," 626 replied, passively scratching behind his ear.<br>"Hmph. 221's influence is apparent...Even 10 is aiding his comrades." He glanced off to the side, where 10 was now deliberately firing red streaks from his trunk, whilst standing back-to-back with 150, who fired from the cannon he had for a left hand. 149 slithered through the crowd around them like a snake, striking as many necks as she could, which was an impressive quantity. "Look, what you two are going through right now, it does not take priority over the 'double-rebellion' we've agreed to. You may indulge in it on the way back, but until then, I would ask that your heads remain distant from the clouds." His liquid-like body then rolled backwards onto another antagonist, but not before transforming into a large, thick, black brick.

**VII**

It didn't take long for the Experiments to win the battle. Within a minute, the metal floor was obscured by multitudes of fallen bodies. Eight of the victors stood proudly, admiring their handiwork, while the ninth, emerald one stood hunched over, his dry mouth panting, and his face and trunk dripping sweat like clouds with rain.

"Holy crap, doc." 221 approached him. "I've never seen anyone sweat like that after a fight. You've gotta be at least a pound or two lighter now!"

"Why don't...I go hide somewhere..." 10's exhausted panting was like a tiger about to pounce on his prey. "And you...Can pull me out...By my feet...And we'll see..." 221 took a step back at 10's suddenly malicious tone.

"You alright, 10?" 624 and 626 patted him on the back at the same time.

"I'm fine...I..." He shut his eyes for a moment, as if his mind were stopping to recharge itself. "...Now...Should we start looking...For the Grand Councilwoman..."

"I hear you, buddy," 626 responded, looking ahead of them and finding a single soldier still crawling across the floor. It had to be the most pathetic sight he had ever seen; someone believing he could escape at the speed he was dragging in. A snail would be gone quicker. "Hang on a sec." He walked away in a firm stride towards the lone survivor, and quickly found 621 marching alongside him.

"Oh, God!" The soldier clawed at the floor ahead of him, desperately trying to flee his oppressors, but the newborn uselessness of his legs was uncooperative. 621 snatched him by the top of his head, dangling him like a shirt by a hanger.  
>"We understand that the Grand Councilwoman is somewhere on this vessel, and we were hoping you could specify that for us,"<br>"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about!"  
>"Don't play dumb!"<br>"I don't! L-Look, I have two kids; twins! A boy and a girl, and-"  
>"Hmph." The marksman dropped the soldier's head to the floor, causing him to bang his chin against his helmet.<p>

"He'll cough something up eventually," 626 reassured his ally. "Just give him a moment,"

"Alright. All the same, we may as well have a seat while we wait." The two Experiments exchanged villainous smirks before they each sat down on one of the soldier's empty legs. The usual pleasing crack was inaudible underneath the soldier's deafening cries.

"DOWN THE CORRIDOR!" Experiments would've covered their ears had his exclamations been less helpful. "DOWN THIS WAY, AT THE END! JUST, PLEASE GET OFF!" His request was acknowledged.

"Some good those kids did you, huh?" 621 growled at his victim as he passed him.

"Thank you, soldier," 626 stepped up to the whimpering soldier's head. "For your contribution to the rebellion." A split second passed, and the whimpering ceased underneath the blue Experiment's foot. "Alrighty..." He turned to his other seven comrades. "If everyone's ready, then follow 621! It's finally time!"

**VIII**

The door at the end of the corridor was tall. That was the extent of its uniqueness. Aside from its unusual height, it appeared just like any other door the Experiments had ever encountered in eight years; it completely contradicted the rare intensity of the fire burning like Hell inside each of them. 621, stepping in front of the group, gazed up at the long door as if it lead into Heaven. "This is it..." He whispered. "It should be it...It very well might be it. What do you all think?" He turned to his companions to find them all but 300, 10, and 345 mirroring his evil smirk, though the last wasn't because of his immortal beam. "Alright, then...150, 221, 10, if you'd be willing to lend your respective projectiles?"

"'If?!'" 221 proudly stepped up next to 621, as did the other two requested Experiments.

"Now, who would like to do the honor of opening the door?" The marksman looked to the four remaining choices.

"Ooh, ooh! Dibs, dibs! I called it!" 345 hopped from one foot to the other, shooting his hand in the air like a child in a class. 621 nodded towards the door, and the clown immediately hopped onto it, standing with one foot on the door and another on the wall next to it. "Ready?!" He held his arm ready to chop through the air, while 621, 221, 150, and 10 were more than ready to open fire. "Ai-FIRE!" 345 thrust the door open with his foot, falling, laughing innocently to the floor; his giggling rang with the sound of gunfire, streaks, and lightning shooting into the room. The display was like the Fourth of July, nearly blinding 626, 624, and 300. Once the deafening projectiles had ceased, the group immediately darted into the room, discovering the eyesore version of a small, colorless office. The only thing worth a shred of interest was the Federation's spidery, black and white flag high up on the wall. Scanning over the whole room, the Experiments' delighted, hopeful beams slowly devolved into the most malicious of snarls. 626 threw his head back before throwing his foot into the toppled, Swiss cheese-like desk, quickly putting it into a vast multitude of pieces. His cool, blue fur felt like it had turned a fiery red as he glared around at the lifeless room. His head felt as if it would burst violently like the setting of his first mission at any moment, but not due to the excruciating absence of their target.

"He knows," He growled. "He knows that we've been working against him! Now he's gotten us all out of his hair for...DAMMIT!" His claws dug around his head, wishing that it was instead a certain fat one with four eyes.

"It's OK, 626." He felt a soft hand on his shoulder; he did not need to turn to confirm that it was 624. "He can't escape us. Whatever he's planning, wherever he's hiding, we'll find him. We will get him." She gently tugged his head to face her. "I'll make sure you get him." She smiled, and 626 reflected itas she pulled his forehead to hers, rubbing the back of his furry head. "You have my word...If we can't make an example out of the Grand Councilwoman..." She turned to the rest of their comrades, raising her voice triumphantly. "Then you can bet your ass we'll make one out of Jumba!"

"And at least now we know for sure that Quadri-Sight was full of baloney," 345 added. 624 chuckled at the nickname.

"Jumba's kept us all in the dark our whole lives," 621 stepped up alongside his blue and pink allies. "He's had the advantage of both knowledge and distance all this time, but there is one miscalculation on his part! He's made us stronger, faster, smarter, and more powerful than he can even begin to compete with! Our plan now is to head back to base and investigate any changes, and then we go straight to find Jumba and Jacques!" He threw his fist into the air, and the action was returned by all of his companions.

"YES!" 10 answered with a vigorous shout. His face was still moist with sweat. Upon noticing everyone's surprised eyes upon him, his tense face relaxed to its typical, timid expression as his fist opened and lowered slowly like a leaf. With a firm grasp of his forearm, however, 221 revived his confident gesture.

"Still not quite adjusted to terrorism yet?" The soft but strict voice of an old woman rang passively into the room, jolting everyone from their triumphant stance. "You poor thing." It took one Experiment three seconds less than the others to deduce the owner of the mocking announcer.  
>"The Grand Councilwoman of the Galactic Federation, I presume?" 300 inquired firmly.<br>"And you are Number 300, correct? Do you realize that a good number of our military's soldiers have resigned out of trauma from your...Abilities?"  
>"How wise of them,"<p>

"Y-Y-You can understand us?!" 10 stammered, scanning the air, as if to find the Councilwoman levitating somewhere above them.

"Of course, Number 10. I've always been listening to you. Don't think I haven't been paying attention all this time. Besides, it's not an _entirely _original language. Perhaps pay a visit to the planet Turo sometime,"

"Hey, uh, Councilwoman?" 149 stepped forward. "See, we were really lookin' forward to snappin' your spine. Any reason why you just left us hanging?"  
>"As you often left our guards 'hanging' when their backs were turned, Number 149?"<br>"That's what they turn them for, isn't it?  
>"I was never supposed to be here in the first place, but the nine of you <em>were<em> supposed to believe I was, though I highly doubt that Jumba even thought that, let alone my true whereabouts. What you see here isn't my office, but that of the captain's, who you will now find laying down the hall." A hint of malice appeared in her voice.

"A decoy ship?" 221 questioned. "Why, you sly, little c-"

"That is no such language for a child of your age to be using, Number 221!" The Grand Councilwoman snapped, a hint of malicious cheek underneath her sturdy tone. The electrician scowled at the air, looking almost as 626 had upon discovering the Councilwoman's absence.

"Ooh, what about me?!" 345 became a child in a class again. "Say something about me now!"  
>"What about; 'I'm not sure if your enthusiasm is admirable, disturbing, or obnoxious?'"<br>"Oh, I like that first one!"

"Wait, wait..." 624 interrupted. "What you were saying just now, about Jumba? What did you mean?"  
>"I meant that Jumba perhaps just wanted you out of the house,"<br>"...Well, no shit! You were eavesdropping, right? We already got that far!"  
>"Yes, but even further than that? Here's a hint: I've heard you've been inquiring about him for a while now..."<p>

"...Jacques?" 626 inquired. All ears immediately perked up like the deceased from their graves.

"Yes, Number 626..." The Grand Councilwoman's tone seemed suddenly cunning; a breath of fresh air after the terrified stammers from anyone else asked about the mysterious Jacques. "Dr. Jacques Hamsterviel worked under Captain Gantu for some time, towards the end of which he and Dr. Jumba Jookiba began making the first of you. I believe you were the last of what could be called 'the first', Number 10. However, one particular mission brought an unfortunate mistake on the Captain's part, which Hamsterviel saw as being unforgivable. Understandable, but he was only further upset when Gantu did not face the punishment he thought appropriate, and after one resignation and eight years of work, here we are. Not much farther than where we were eight years ago, if you ask me." The rest of the Experiments joined 221 in his scowling. "Why Hamsterviel would want his existence kept from you is beyond me. What I can tell you, though, is what might be awaiting you at your base of operations, wherever it is..." The scowls turned into raised eyebrows. "Now, you all want to become rulers; what would you see as an appropriate punishment for treason?"

"Execution," 621 answered firmly, as if he had anticipated the question.

"And what do Jumba and Jacques do when they must steer over an issue in their organization?"

"...He makes a new Experiment..." 150 answered. Everyone suddenly felt a chill of realization colder than frostbite. "Oh, crap!"

"I would suggest that you move along, but there's really no rush..." The softness of her voice became suddenly sharp like a blade. "I'm sure the plasma missile will reach you by then. Enjoy wherever your journey takes you next, terrorists." Every Experiment stiffened upwards like icicles, but their marksman was the first to thaw into a glare.

"Another time. Perhaps once you've tried a more original way of eliminating us." He drew one of his blasters in his upper right hand, aiming it at the flag in the devastated office. Within seconds, the thin cloth was in the jaws of a thick, emerald flame. "Remember, remember..." His voice was stronger and more still than it had ever been. "Right, come on! Our mission's still not complete!" He quickly took the lead of his comrades, with 300 barely an inch southwest of him.  
>"The plasma missile may not be our most immediate concern,"<br>"Why's that, 300?"  
>"Her tone as she threatened it; I sensed something insincere in it. All the same, you're right, a greater dilemma awaits us back at base,"<br>"I never said-Oh, right," 621 recalled 300's telepathic abilities.

"Seriously, 300, you need to start asking permission to go through someone's mind palace," 150 firmly suggested.  
>"No, I don't,"<br>"...You know I'm older than you, right?"  
>"We must accolade your perception, 150,"<br>"Forget it..." The towering Experiment growled. Within seconds, the entire group was back on the decoy vessel's exterior, and then into the pod even quicker. 626 and 624 toppled into the front seat, with the others following immediately behind them.

"Whew," The blue Experiment panted as the ship became distant behind them. "We sure learned a lot back there, eh?"  
>"No kidding." 624 scooted an inch closer to him. "Gives your brain a buttload to rack, doesn't it?"<br>"_Multiple _buttloads; with what we've learned about Jacques, about the Rebellion, about Jumba's two faces,"  
>"Yeah...So...Maybe it'd be easier if I, well, we...Took one thing off the rack..."<br>"Which one-?" 626 was distracted by something round, large, wet, and indigo that had landed on his nose.  
>"There..." 624 removed her nose from 626's, smiling at his awestruck expression. "Just wanted to get that out there where it isn't distracting." She plopped back on the seat again, slumping down like a pink sack of flour. "Take it however you like," She sighed wearily. The blue Experiment's hanging jaw stretched into a warm beam, which then released a slimy, pale tongue that kissed 624's cheek. She turned to him with a beam even wider than his. "C'mere, you!" She scooped him into an airtight hug as their fuzzy cheeks brushed against each other, and their long ears hid behind their heads. 626 did not even care that his saliva was being sandwiched between their cheeks.<p>

"Hey, 624?" 149 leaned over from the back seat.  
>"Yeah, 149?"<br>The small Experiment gave a quiet chortle before answering. "I told you so!"  
>"AUGH!" 624 pulled her long ears under her chin with a groan, though her beam was impervious.<p>

"Now you two will be able to emulate everything you make fun of 149 and me for!" 221 joked to the new couple. "It'll be the greatest irony since 345 called 300 a-"  
>"Bud?"<br>"Yeah, mate?"  
>"Shut up,"<br>"Ah, alright." He and his grass-colored mate plopped back to their seats as 626 and 624's noses met again. As they were wrapped in each other's arms, the flames that had once singed their insides now seemed to warmly tickle them, like the fire in a furnace on a cold winter night. At the same time, a sudden coolness overtook their once-boiling brains. Not at all frigid, but like the comforting ease the shade brings on a scorching afternoon. All the correct temperatures encompassed them even after they'd split away. "Is it me...?" 626 began softly. "Or do you also have a sudden burst of confidence? Not just about Jumba and Ja-er, Hamsterviel, but...Just anything that could come around? Life, really..."

"Well, of course." 624 scratched gently behind both of his tall, descended ears. "It's all part of being a good ruler, right? Honesty with your fellow governors, instead of being shady and hiding like Gantu and the Grand Councilwoman." She turned and gave a quick wink to 150 in the back seat, who gave a curt nod and a shy smile in response. In the corner of their eyes as they glanced, 626, 624, 150, and the rest of their company were finally revealed the pod's pilot. Next to 621 in the front was a gently panting 10, whose fingers suffocated the steering wheel.

"You alright, Tenzy?" 345 inquired, concerned.

"Yeah, yeah, 345, I..." He paused for several seconds, as if being piloted himself. "I'll be alright...Let's just...Get back to base,"

"That sounds agreeable, 10," 300 calmly approved. With little more than a glance back at him, the cooling medic resumed his piloting.

**IX**

"Oh, you guys are so adorable!" 345 chirped as 626 and 624 exited the pod with jointed hands.  
>"Is it really that big a deal, 345?" The blue Experiment replied, somewhat bothered.<br>"Not really, I was just stating a fact,"

"Well, we're not doing it to look cute," 624 added.  
>"I know, but you still do,"<br>"And it's not important now,"  
>"I know it's not, but it's true,"<br>"...Never mind..." Suddenly, any unease that had vanished on the trip back to base returned with a sickening pit in every stomach. The typical bustling echoes were substituted with silence, and the lights were dimmed to create an irritating brown sight.

"I should have known..." 621 grumbled after observing the changes to their base before turning to his comrades. "He's evacuated the other 614 of us,"

"Yeah, all the other pods are gone." Everyone turned to find poking his head into one of the other bay doors.  
>"Very sharp, 10," The marksman firmly complimented.<br>"Oh...Thanks, 621,"

"We know now that Jumba has some unpleasant surprises awaiting us in here," 300 stepped forward.  
>"Wish we's known that before we left, huh?" 149 stated. "Woulda saved us all the trouble,"<br>"Had we known then, 149, we'd never have learned it at all,"  
>"...Fair point,"<br>"Regardless, a small group of us should scan ahead, while the rest of us back them up,"

"Good plan," 621 replied, pulling his rifle from his back. "I'll volunteer to scout ahead...626, 624? Would you come with?"

"Oh, so you're making us volunteer, then?" The pink Experiment sarcastically replied as they stood alongside 621. She was greeted with an unamused glare. "C'mon, let's check it out." She motioned for him to proceed, which he did.

"None of you act until these two have, alright?" The marksman called back as he walked. Both 626 and 624 thought to bow to each other to allow them to pass first. They both rubbed their heads and chuckled in sync at the resulting collision.

"I understand you two are hoping this will help you both focus..." 300 stepped forward as the laughter silenced. "All I ask is that you prove that,"

"Alright. Sorry, 300." 626 took 624's hand, which truly was as soft as he had pondered shortly after birth, and lead her ahead. 621, rifle at the ready, was backed against the western wall, right next to the corner, where his two selected assistants quickly joined him.

"Okay, there's nothing straight ahead..." The marksman nodded to the dim, empty room, as white as purgatory and little more than a few long, box-like benches. "I'll head around this corner and call you and the others forward if it's safe. If anything happens, I'll let both groups keep their element of surprise, which you'll use as you see fit. All I ask is that you don't use it recklessly..." He was responded with a pair of curt nods. He was about to enact his plan when he suddenly halted, his back still to 624 and 626. "...But you two have always been loyal to me, so I know I can count on you. I just hope I'm right in thinking your newfound partnership increases your effectiveness as a team,"

"It will, 621." One of 624's antennae rested reassuringly on 621's upper left shoulder. "We can promise you that,"

"And no matter what happens to you..." 626 added. "You'll be repaid for what you did on Gantu's ship,"

621 gave a short glance back to his comrades, though he was around the corner and out of sight before too long. It was even less time before his gravelly voice was heard again.

"Hello,"  
>"...Hello..." The reply was not immediate. "...Which number are you?"<br>"621...You must be Number 627,"  
>"I guess you could say that...That's what Dr. Jumba says, but...I'd really rather not be associated with you..." If he was 627, his voice was as low as 300's, yet with a timidness like 10's. The others listening struggled to find a better word than depressed.<br>"Why not?"  
>"It's not obvious?" There was a brief pause, as silent as a corpse. "You don't remember, then? In the dark room?"<br>"...I've been in a lot of dark rooms. Do you think you could be more specific?"  
>"More specific? Hmph, no, I doubt that I could. From what I know, all these 'dark rooms' you've just mentioned are more or less the same. You'd never give them a second thought..."<br>"I might. Maybe-"  
>"No!" The unseen depression suddenly became the firm voice of a judge sentencing execution. "You wouldn't, Number 621, because you never have...Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary..." The spontaneous, soft, angry reciting flabbergasted the listening Experiments. The larger group was carefully approaching the corner like stealthy leopards, and had been since 621 had vanished from sight. "Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore…"They all quickly noticed that their marksman had not responded 627 as immediately as he had been, and that his voice was substituted by some vague gagging. Thinking quickly, 626 gave a determined look to 624, who nodded firmly back. She turned and raised a hand like a yield sign before ascending the wall, while her blue mate followed 621 around the corner. What he could see in the dim light was an Experiment taller than him, yet shorter than 150. He had long, notched ears like his own, and a thin and triangular head like that of a bloodied arrow. His fur was crimson like the fires of Hell, and his pitch black eyes burned similarly. His torso was like an enormous ant's, with two ferocious hands gripping a kneeling 621's throat, and four more restraining all of the marksman's bony arms. 621's rifle lay dropped by 627's feet. The new arrival was quick to notice his approaching predecessor. "While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly, there came a tapping..."<p>

"Let him go, 627!" 626 demanded. "I mean it! Experiment or not, I have no problem making you feel what 621's feeling now!"  
>"As if someone gently rapping..." The flames in 627's eyes grew shorter for just a moment, and in that moment, he glanced again at his victim before throwing him away without a turn of his head. "Rapping at my chamber door..."<br>"Now, maybe you'd like to tell me where Lardass sent you from-"  
>"'Tis some visitor, I muttered..." The red Experiment cut him off like an axe through wood. "Tapping at my chamber door..." He straightened up, four of his arms retreating within him, and his eyes beginning to glow as red as his fur. 626 braced himself for the glow's projectile climax. "Only this, and nothing more!"<p> 


	6. Ripple

Chapter 4:  
>Ripple<p>

**I**

626 was quick enough to duck the thin, scarlet streaks that left 627's eyes, which were not unlike those 10 had been firing on the decoy vessel. His opponent, however, had a fist in his stomach even faster. The blue Experiment briefly recalled a training match with 624 against 149 and 150. The enormous Experiment's mechanical fist had hit his gut hard enough to earn a hundred frantic apologies from 150, a wince from 149, and some help up from 624. That now seemed like a comforting pat compared to the blow he just felt. Regardless, he was able to ignore the pain long enough to catch 627's fist before his face, and then drive a powerful headbutt into the red Experiment's purple nose. 626's fist flew upwards into 627's chin, though it was retaliated with the whiplash of a backhand before a strong scissor kick. The blue Experiment went rolling backwards into the nearest wall. After falling to his bottom, he looked up to find his opponent's eyes glowing red again. Fortunately, a friendly, pink form fell from the ceiling and stomped 627 into the ground, and the streaks hit the ceiling with soft 'p-tang.'

"You're not that much of a surprise, you know!" 624 joked, grabbing the new arrival by his long, ruined ears. "We got a sort-of tip-off!" 627 was thrown into the furthest corner, while 624 immediately ran for her blue ally. "You alright, pumpkin?"  
>"Not bad, aside from you getting my name wrong,"<br>"Oh, sorry. I was just trying out one of the things 149 calls 221,"  
>"Tell you what, why don't we kick 627's ass, and then we can discuss our own, original flirty names?"<br>"Sounds good." They turned around to find their antagonist reemerged, and working his way through bolts of electricity and more thin streaks. As 221 slowly approached the red Experiment, continuing his projectiles, 10 ran onto the ceiling, firing streaks until he was halfway across. The projectiles were dodged with ease by 627, and 10 soon found their enemy's back to them. Noticing the opportunity, he dropped from the ceiling and prepared for a kick.

"Eep!" His foot was snared in 627's expecting claws. The medic soon found himself flying across the room, being ducked by 221, and then landing on something soft and rubbery.

"Whoopsie-daisies!" 345 chirped, letting 10 slide down his elongated torso. The clown then stretched around the bolts that 221 fired until he was close enough to wrap 627's head in his rubbery arm like a present. "Come on, now! You know it won't feel so bad if you just stay sti-OUCHIE!" He was suddenly gripped around the arm with two electrically-charged hands. Fortunately for the clown, 149 was quick with an airborne roundhouse kick.

"Watch yourself, stretchy!" She landed swiftly on the nearest wall, perching with all limbs like a spider. 627 only snarled from his crouched position. As he straightened up, he found himself surrounded by 621, 626, 624, 221, 10, and 150.

"You're outnumbered, mate," The electrician threatened, pointing at him with a strongly electrified finger.

"Thanks for that, 149!" 345 chirped, his torso extending to be above his rescuer.

"Don't mention it, rubbery, just-Eh?!" She felt a spontaneous weight on her leg. Looking over her shoulder, she found 627 glaring up at her, his ferocious hand around her foot. "Howdy, there,"

"I've noticed..." The crimson creature responded 221 before throwing his girlfriend on top of him like a ragdoll.

"Hey, now! Oof!" 149 noisily scolded 627 as she inadvertently hit 10, 150, and 626 across the ground. "This just-Ow!-Ain't sporting!" 621 was swift enough to roll backwards and out of the way, and 624 was able to catch 149 around the torso.  
>"Phew, he was throwing you for a loop, huh?" The pink Experiment joked.<br>"Shut up, 624!"

Their opponent's free hand began to emit a sickly green substance, identical to that fired from certain Federation weapons. Before he could throw his projectile, however, he found both that arm and and his throat grasped from behind by 621. After a firm stomp to his calf sent him kneeling, he also released 149's ankle.

"Now, if you'd 'a made plasma on the hand holdin' my foot, ya just might've gotten somewhere!" She teased as she stood up. The smart-mouth was then evaded the judo thrown marksman, who instead toppled into 624. "Woah, there! Just some constructive criticism, spazzo!" She attempted two hooks into the glaring face, both of which landed in her enemy's awaiting grasp. She was quick to escape with a powerful headbutt, followed by a firm side kick to the chest. As 627 staggered, backwards, 149 flipped over him with the top of his cone-like head and then grabbed his right arm, forcing it too far behind his back with a satisfying snap. As the crimson Experiment cried out in pain, his free hand became a fist, which was across his opponent's face before too long. After 149 landed on her front from the resulting back flip, she looked up to find not only her nose dripping blood, but 627 looking shocked at his own handiwork.

"No..." He muttered as he shook the expression from his face. "Must be brave...I must be brave..." It wasn't until he'd collected himself that he noticed a pale green substance had gathered at his feet. Immediately after he discovered the glop, it shot up like a bullet and gripped his head, which he found in front of a pair of rock-hard, yellow eyes.

"Show me the path you took from your birthplace..." 300 whispered as he felt a sensation like he was opening a thick book. Before he could read its text, however, he was pushed away by another pair of boiling streaks from 627's eyes. Glancing downwards after the blob was satisfyingly distant from him, the new arrival noticed that part of 300 trailed along the floor back to him and consumed his foot, slowly working its way upwards. Without a moment's hesitation, 627 singed the parasitic skin crawling up his leg with two plasma-charged hands. 300 silenced his shouts through teeth clenched like a sprung trap, and tried his hardest to fully engulf 627.  
>"It would be easier to just accept this, you know!" The red creature called over in frustration.<br>"It would be, for a short time..." 300 growled softly. With a burning glare, 627 took his hands from his trapped leg and chucked a sphere of plasma at the blob.

"300!" 10 grabbed his ally from behind one of the cubic benches, pulling him into cover from the oncoming projectile. The new Experiment, with all six arms, began hurtling plasma all throughout the room, hoping to create some sort of random casualty. He soon spotted 149 darting out from behind another bench, and focused a fraction of the deadly substance at her. A quick-thinking 150 stepped in between them as she rounded the corner back to the pod bay. He aimed his cannon hand to counter the plasma for his long-time partner, but they hit the branch-like formations of flying electricity and dispersed like firecrackers before he could act.

"Careful, kids!" 221 called from behind the nearest bench. "Getting a plasma wound isn't that fun, trust me,"

"Oh, uh, for sure, 221!" 150 forced any blunt annoyance from his head.

"Thanks, sugarcube!" 149 rapidly stepped back out. "C'mon, 150, I could use ya help with somethin'!"  
>"Wh-Really?!" His mind was more easily cleared now. "Sure! Anything!"<br>"Just down here, eager beaver!" She motioned to be followed as she resumed running, and the massive Experiment complied.

627 persisted until he was unsuspectingly hit across the face by a powerful fist. Then hit again in the opposite direction. Then again. And again. And again. He was able to get a brief glimpse of 626 standing over him, all four fists at the ready, and a sickly green chemical dripping off of him like water on a swan's back. His time with the view was minimal, as he was grabbed by his triangular head and thrust into 626's knee. The maneuver was swiftly followed by a strong headbutt, sending the red Experiment to the floor.

"See, 627, I'd call you a letdown..." 626 stepped forward and thrust 627's face into the floor with his foot when he tried to look up. "But how sloppy you are, just chucking plasma around aimlessly like a headless Irken, there's something so satisfyingly funny about it all." He let out a brief but noticeable chuckle. "I'll have to tell Jacques Hamsterviel and Jumba that 'Functions' are nothing without skill, as I've just shown you. First, though..." He pressed his foot harder onto the orange cheek. "Think you could tell me where I'd find them? You did come straight from there, didn't you?"

"...'Skill?'" The new arrival was muffled slightly by 626's foot, but a tone of disgust was still audible. "Is that what you call it?" His still body then exploded with lively electricity, literally and figuratively shocking his blue opponent off of him. As 626 staggered backwards, he quickly found both of his long ears grasped in an airtight fist before being smacked into the hard metal wall. Before he could retaliate, he was grabbed by the back of his head and made to violently kiss the wall more times than he would care to. As he took the pain, he could hear a furious grunting emitting from 627, almost as strong as the force he was hitting him with. Before too long, 626 found himself spun around once and then up in the air, straight through the ceiling, and out of the base entirely.

**II**

626 came within a whisker of toppling into the cold embrace of the infinite darkness. The gravity just before it, however, had him on the roof with a clamorous thud. He strained to look up, but when he did, he found 627, not too far away, halfway out of the hole he had created.

"Right, the oxygen field..." The crimson Experiment muttered, glancing hurriedly around at the transparent sphere encasing the Experiment's base. "Maybe I'll throw you out of it and watch you suffocate..." He lifted one leg onto the vast, flat rectangle of a roof, but the other one never emerged. Instead, it seemed to pull 627 back into the hole. 626 was given enough time to pull himself to his feet again, all the while listening to a series of grunts and the violent sound of fists striking bones and bones ramming metal. It wasn't long before a rapturous, familiar, and pink sight emerged onto the roof, granting 626 a sigh of relief.

"I really need to stop having to be saved by you," He said with an appeased smile.  
>"Does it really happen <em>that<em> often?" 624 joked back. "Man, he bruised your face up real good. It's almost like his own art form." Though her humor persisted, unease was apparent in her face and her voice, the former of which 626 also noticed, standing out against the colorful pink fur, had a large, black spot above the right cheek.  
>"The same could be said about you,"<br>"That it's my own art form?"  
>"No, the bruises,"<br>"Oh, right!"  
>"Yeah,"<br>"Sorry, I thought you meant-"  
>"Yes, yes, I know." The blue Experiment planted a gentle kiss on 624's bruise. "Better?"<br>"Uh...Getting there..." The black mark seemed to turn scarlet; 624 still had to adjust to their new partnership. "OK, your turn." She licked all around his face in a single stroke. "Better?"  
>"Much better, thanks," A saliva-coated 626 contentedly answered. "That'd give 10 a run for his money, huh?"<br>"Yeah, we'll have to teach him how to lick-heal...But first..." She enthusiastically hopped so she was facing the hole in the roof with 626, with two hands on his shoulders. "We're gonna kick 627's ass, find out where Hamsterviel and Jumba are, and then we can do whatever we want. Sound good?"  
>"That sounds perfect." He turned left and touched his nose to 624's. "You know, I'm really enjoying this,"<br>"I know. I don't even remember why I thought it was useless!" The hole suddenly erupted with a bright, golden flash, followed immediately by 221, flying vertically from it like a rocket. Dangling from his ankle like the tail of a kite was unmistakably 627.

"Oh, hello 626, 624!" The electrician immediately noticed them as he soared over the base, alternating between trying to shake 627 off and prying at his airtight fingers with his free foot. "Don't mind me; just fending off the crazed poet! You two carry on!" He was audibly irritated.

"Oh, right, 'cause he'd start getting hypocritical," The pink Experiment muttered. She and 626 noticed 345 emerging from the hole, and sending his arm after the two airborne Experiments like an endless torpedo.

"I hope you're enjoying the ride, you cone-headed wanker!" 221 shouted back at 627, chucking spheres of electricity at him.  
>"You talk to much," 627 dodged the projectiles with ease.<br>"Hey, if you let frickin' go I might give it a rest!"  
>"Oh, it's too late for that. Far too late,"<br>"Well, better late than never! Come on, give me a break!"  
>"I can't do that,"<br>"Then do _something_, for God's sake! Give me another plasma'd foot, break my leg, something! Just stop sitting there, you sodding anchor!"  
>"...Alright," 627 muttered, as he gripped 221's foot with both hands. His arms began sparking violently, while the golden Experiment slowly turned pale, and their altitude decreased.<p>

"ARGH!...You...Little...Shit..." 221 panted, feeling like a ten-pound brick in a five-pound bag. Fortunately, his opponent was blasted away by a thick, red beam like a dozen of 10's streaks. 627's red fur burst into flames as he fell. 345's hand had gone to grab 627's foot, but caught 221's instead, and pulled him back like an oversized yo-yo, catching him in both arms. As the electrician struggled to see straight, he found 149 by the trigger of a long, red, enormous, cannon-like, and all-too-familiar firearm, just next to the hole in the roof, surrounded by the rest of his comrades, including 626 and 624.

"Y'alright, hun?" 149 was worried as she quickly helped 345 in getting 221 to his feet.  
>"Yeah, love, I'm alright..." 221 began, as he forced himself to his feet. "Just need to recharge is all...You alright?" He noticed the thick, crimson liquid dripping from her nose.<br>"Aw, yeah, the spoils 'a battle, ya know? Nothin' 10 can't fix, don't you worry,"  
>"Good, good...Thanks for the help, you two,"<p>

"Anytime, 221," 345 chirped. "It looked like fun!"

"So you didn't get shot in the foot on that mission for nothing, see?" 149 added.

"I guess...Excuse me a sec..." He broke away and jogged towards the burning Experiment as best as his heavy sack of a body would allow. 627 simply shook his fur like a wet dog's to extinguish the flames. All the same, he was still sweating like a pig when 221 reached him and grabbed him by the neck with both hands, performing an action identical to what the new arrival had done to him in the air. "Mmm-mmm-mmm," He smiled and purred like he was enjoying a delectable dish, and then punted 627 across the roof. He caught a glimpse of his enemy's palms sliding against the metal as he went over the edge, but when he went to find him on the side of the base, there was nothing but empty space. "Oh, uh...He's gone..." He went back to his allies.

"He fell out of the oxygen field?" 621 asked in rough disbelief.

"No, there's no body or anything; he's just vanished,"

"Then he's still on the base somewhere," 300 stated firmly. Everyone noticed a blatant spot on his side that was a paler green than the rest of him. "We must all be vigilant. He won't tell us where it was he came from, so I will have to extract the route from his memory, as difficult as it will be." He held his injured side for a moment.  
>"I told you I should patch it up quickly," 10 told him quietly.<br>"There will be time after 627 is dealt with, 10,"  
>"But it would be easier if-"<br>"My decision, my repercussions, 10. It is not your most immediate concern,"  
>"...It is,"<br>"10..." The medic was silent now. "I will find Jumba and Hamsterviel's whereabouts in that troubled head, and then we will apprehend 627. How we choose to deal with him we will leave until after we have also dealt with the two doctors. Is that agreed?" Everyone nodded tersely. "Excellent. Now, we should find where-" He was interrupted by a powerful wind coming from behind him. It would've knocked the Experiments down like bowling pins were it not for the adhesive pads on their feet. Darting around, they found an enormous black pod with white lining, followed closely by two pods, both half its size. The typical guards that came out in a dozen were infinitesimal ants compared to the enormous, immediately recognizable, and shark-like figure who emerged from the largest pod, blaster in hand.

"So, this is where it's been all this time," Captain Gantu scanned around the base's exterior like he'd wandered into a pleasantly decorated surprise party. "A little bland, but then again, I doubt Jacques wanted it to turn any heads. If I were him, I'd have thought the same thing..." He then looked down at his nine enemies, whom his company of twelve were now aiming their plasma rifles at. "Just the nine of you, as I expected. I would've preferred the full roster, but we'll get to them. Some is better than nothing, isn't it?"

"How youga icita?!" 626 demanded.

"How did we get here?" Gantu deduced from the blue Experiment's tone what he couldn't from his tongue. "You just got back from the Grand Councilwoman's 'ship', didn't you? It's not just there to be annoying; I was hidden on that vessel, and placed a tracking device on your pod while you were occupied with your usual bout of terrorism,"

"Nala queesta!" 149 exclaimed in frustration.

"Language, please." He condescended. "A few had to be sacrificed, but it was all well worth it. Now, we can do this either the easy way..." He droned on long enough to earn a resounding yawn from 345, who grabbed the Captain's head with extended arms and drove it into the hard, metal roof once he'd heard enough.

"Thank you, 345," 621 complimented sincerely, his mouth curling into a fiendish smile.

"My pleasure, 621!" 345's smile was infinitely more welcoming.

The twelve plasma firearms all clicked, ready to be violently emptied within a second. Before they could, however, a voice not missed by the Experiments shouted out in an unusual mixture of both concern and fury. "NO!" Both sides found 627 reemerged not too far from their standoff, holding one of the Experiment's dully colored pods over his shoulder like a baseball bat. "They're my responsibility to deal with! All of you stay out of this, you'll be much safer!"

"_And _he sticks his neck out for the military?" A baffled 221 said quietly to 626. "That seals it; I _hate _this guy,"  
>"Don't worry, bud, I'll make an example out of him for ya,"<br>"Well, I'd like to do it myself,"  
>"Actually, after the little airshow you two gave us, that might not be the best idea..."<p>

"Well, well, well, Number 627..." Gantu slowly pulled himself to his feet. "Today's just full of surprises. I wouldn't be giving orders if I were in your position,"  
>"If <em>I<em> were in _your_ position, Captain, I'd be listening to them anyway," The new arrival persisted. "If I knew what was good for me,"  
>"Call me stubborn, but I can't obey the enemy,"<br>"I'm not your enemy, Captain! I'm trying to help you!"  
>"Forgive me if I find that difficult to believe!" The giant was becoming increasingly irritable.<br>"...Alright, have it your way..." 627 shut his burning eyes.

"You focus on Gantu for now, alright?" 626 whispered hurriedly to his electric comrade. "Let me deal with red boy,"

"...Whatever you say, mate." 221 shot an unnoticed glare at 627, who threw the pod down between the two sides like a barrier. All thirteen Federation officers opened fire on the newest Experiment, but it was little more than heavy rainfall to him. Seizing the opportunity, 626 snatched the smashed pod from 627 and hit him across the roof like a golf ball.

149 opened fire with the cannon on Gantu's twelve allies, and they all became a spectacular, sizzling light show. "There, now we can focus on the giant flea without any obnoxious plasma flying around,"  
>"I'll take this, 149!" 621 abrasively came up and took the trigger from her.<br>"Oh, thanks for offering, 621," She sarcastically replied before charging towards the towering Captain. 221 had already delivered an electrified hook to his face, and 150 had left to add another from his mechanical fist. 149 used her partner's shoulder as a stepping stone to leap onto Gantu's face, headbutting him as he stumbled around blindly. The marksman aimed perfectly for the Captain's head, but was then faced with the problem of 149, 150, 221, and 10 moving around within the crosshairs.  
>"Everyone, I need you to give me some space!" He ordered, but his comrades were too swept up in their conflict with Gantu. He was so close now; vengeance was just a slight movement of his index finger away. If only his allies would stop running everywhere irritably like insufferable popcorn kernels. His grip on the trigger tightened in frustration, and almost automatically, he fired purely out of hope.<p>

"EEP!" 10 turned white as a ghost when the beam missed his head by mere inches.

"10!" 621 called out, becoming pale himself. His eyes shut tight like locked doors, and his fists released the weapon to clench themselves. Against his eyelids' interior, he could see the vessel, identical to anything else used by the Federation, but completely different. He could see one half of it burst into flames like a demonic firework, and though he couldn't see the two Experiments in the midst of it all, they were somehow still visible to him. Then he heard the familiar, contemptible marching coming from the intact half, as his heart turned to fire just as the ship had done. He opened his eyes, his vision adjusting to the film of liquid in front of them, and looked back up, still hearing that contemptible marching. Finally, as he went around the cannon to grip the barrel with all four hands, he emptied the fire from his heart. "MOTHERFUCKER!" He threw the weapon with all of his might, which was only enough to sweep it across the floor and trip Gantu to the ground. The Captain tried to sit up, but before he could do so completely, the marksman was on the back of his head, sinking his teeth into one of the fins protruding next to his chin.

"Hell yes! Kick his ass, 621!" 149 cheered. 221 and 150 joined in, while 10 found himself turning away; something he was confused that his stomach was doing as well.

"Little trog!" Gantu shouted through clenched teeth. The marksman was easily able to break free of the giant, gray fist and leap onto Gantu's chest. He reached up into his lip, grasping the first hard, wet thing he felt, and yanked on it with all his might. Surely enough, the jagged, white bone parted from the Captain's gums with another spout of blood and a deafening cry. 621 found himself smacked onto his back, next to 221, 149, 150, and a paling 10, but leaped back to his feet immediately.

"Whatcha got there, General?" 221 inquired, noticing the object 621 clenched in his upper right fist. The marksman held it up, showing all of them the blood-soaked tooth.

"You gonna mount that?" 150 suggested.

"I think I will," The marksman replied, tossing it lightly into the air and catching it again. It felt like a thick piece of metal, but wet and infinitely lighter. The fire within him still raged like the one on the vessel in his head, but gripping the prize seemed to make it somehow bearable, like flame-retardant armour surrounding him. "First, though..." In one hand he grasped the severed tooth, while the other three each held a firearm at the ready. "The Captain owes something to 501 and 502!" The marksman charged at Gantu like a missile from Hell, followed closely by his four comrades.

**III**

626 delivered a seemingly endless series of blows to 627's face, making him back away from the smashed pod automatically. 624 and 345 went to add to the crimson Experiment's pain, while 300 took a brief look at the pod 627 had brought up. He noticed a vague but visible white light blinking near its stern. He ripped the miniature, chip-like device from the metal, and crushed it in its hand.

'Target lost!' He heard an indifferent female voice sound from the larger of the three Federation pods. 300 paid it little mind as he leaped over the oppressed 627, appearing like an airborne waterfall. He grasped his opponent from behind in a bear hug, and slammed him backwards on his head in a suplex, before holding him upright again for either 626, 624, or 345 to strike his vulnerable face. Before the blue Experiment could, he received a pair of red feet in his face, followed by a set of thin streaks knocking him on his back. He shifted the streaks to knock 624 away as well, but 345 coiled around them in a spiral motion, getting close enough to 627 to pinch his fuzzy cheeks.

"See anything, 300?" He merrily inquired. The blob's yellow eyes squinted, seeming as if he was exhausted, though forcing himself to stay awake.  
>"Stop smiling!" 627 roared, gripping the clown's throat.<br>"Ulp!" 345's tongue poked out as he was forced onto the ground. He noticed 300 sliding off the newest Experiment's back like a lifeless cloth.

"Can't..." He gasped, nearly inaudible. "Scattered...Endless...Burning..."

"300, can you stop him making breathing feel annoying?" The clown wheezed, his hands and feet pinned by 627's additional four arms. "Oof, now he's making my limbs feel weird..." Fortunately, 624 was swift with a headbutt the back of their opponent's triangular head, knocking him on top of 345. The clown followed up throwing him into the air with his feet, and they each followed up with a synchronized, airborne roundhouse kick. Their opponent toppled over the side of the ship once again.

"Aw, crap, this again," The pink Experiment muttered. "Watch out in case he tries anything," She advised 345, who nodded before she darted for where 627 had vanished. Peering over, she found him clinging with his palms to the ship's outer wall. "You just can't quit, can you?" She groaned lightly before attempting to hit his fingers loose from the metal. Her first was stopped, however, in the crimson Experiment's iron grasp. "Ack! I never thought I'd meet someone more obnoxious than 625!" She tried to use her other fist, but that was caught, too. She brought our her spare arms, though they were blocked by two extras from 627. She forced her weight back towards the roof, while the red Experiment tried to pull her towards the infinite blackness.

"That's what you call 'obnoxious?'" He growled.

"Uh-oh! 624!" Thinking quickly, 345 reached an arm across that wrapped around his ally's waist. Even with the clown's added effort, 627 still persisted in his attempt to throw 624 from the base. Before too long, a familiar creature, blue like the Earth's oceans, was between the pink and red Experiments, and headbutted the latter. 624 was sent rocketing back to 345 like a fishing line.

"Thanks, my Blue Burrito!" She called back to 626 as she sat up.  
>"What?!" He shouted back as he grabbed 627 in a full nelson.<br>"Um, I'll tell you later!"  
>"Sounds good!" He returned his focus to the brawl.<br>"Alright!" She turned back to a beaming 345. "And thanks for your help, too, 345,"

"Anytime, 624! You know, that'd be real fun if there was a big puddle of mud between me and 627, so one of us would trip into it." He giggled at the image that appeared in his bouncy head.

"That's interesting..." The pink Experiment saw a similar picture. "Oh, crap! 626!" They both got to their feet and rushed to the blue Experiment's side. 626 did his best to block or avoid 627's enraged blows, but soon found himself repelled onto his back by another set of burning streaks. Despite a slightly repulsive, burning scent, he was upright again within seconds, discovering the sight of 624 above his crimson enemy, then making him taste the cold, hard metal with her foot.

"See?!" He jokingly called out to her. "Always saving my ass!"

"Well, you saved mine just now, so don't feel too bad!" She wrapped her antennae around 627's neck, watching him struggle for a moment before tossing him into the air. 345's arm extended and snatched the top of his cone head, smacking it onto the roof again. He put the creature into the air once more before kicking his jaw with an elongated leg. 626 caught the tumbling 627 on his foot with a powerful side kick, following up by slamming him on his back with a powerful stomp. The blue Experiment knelt down on his opponent's chest.

"Remember when you hit me a couple dozen times back inside?" He asked softly. With a look of rewarded delight, 626 drove his fist as hard as he could into 627's nose. The satisfying crack was typical when he struck earlier antagonists similarly, but 627 seemed to make this instance unique. The crack was now like a heavenly song, and he decided he would listen to it several times over. 624 and 345 were by him before too long; they, too, seemed to enjoy the music. 627's face and 626's fist were both coated in a red darker than the new arrival's fur when a familiar voice was heard, deeper than the endless space around them.

"Mind yourselves," 300's voice was calm, but when his comrades looked behind them and found one of the smaller, black pods held above his head, the mask over his voice became transparent. Clearing a path as fast as they could, the Experiments watch as the blob tossed the vehicle at 627 like a dart. It scraped across the roof with a trail of clamorous sparks, not unlike 221 when airborne, before coming to an abrupt stop. The crimson Experiment was quick to emerge, glaring past the blood that soaked his face at his four opponents. He stepped down from the damaged pod, standing still and tall, his face blank, staring straight at his distant enemies.

"There's the little buttmuncher!" 624 exclaimed before they all charged at him. 626 soon became the head of the group, glaring with beastly excitement at his static nemesis. He attempted a humiliating uppercut into 627's groin, but his arm was stopped dead in its tracks in the red Experiment's grip. In one swift movement, 345 was under 627's foot, 300 was repelled by boiling streaks, 624 was hit away by her baseball bat of a partner and a bolt of electricity, and 626 was through the pod's windshield. Leaping off of the clown, gaining a loud cough from him in the process, 627 stood on the hood of the pod, hitting 626 in a manner not unlike he had done to him earlier.

"Distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak December..." Another excruciating blow. "And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor..." And another. "Eagerly I wished the morrow; vainly I had sought to borrow..." And another. 626, in the short time that had passed since the battle began, had forgotten the pain 627 could inflict on him. "From my books surcease of sorrow, sorrow for the lost Lenore..." The reciting became progressively quieter, as an unsettling darkness began to cloud 626's vision. 627 kicked him onto the pod's front seat, though by then it was little more than a rumble to him. Through the blackness, he could see the crimson Experiment fighting off 624, 300, and 345. "For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore..." Before long, color returned to his eyes, and he found 627 tearing a long, thick cable from underneath the pod's dashboard. "Nameless here forevermore..." The reciting was clear again. His strength gradually returning to him, 626 stood up to attempt a surprise attack, but found himself dangling like an ornament by his throat instead.

"What the hell are you up to, jackass?" The blue Experiment gasped lowly.  
>"Giving you your just desserts." 627 released a third arm from his side without a second glance, tearing the steering wheel from its wiring, then discarding it before the arm submerged again. "Penance, you could say. It comes for all of us when we need it, and now it's come for you. And I'm the one delivering it,"<br>"I get the feeling you're a little more than that,"  
>"...Not to you..." The new arrival glared at the despicable smirk that 626 gave through his bleeding face until he couldn't contain himself; he spat in his eye. As the blue Experiment blinked the saliva out, he was thrown back onto the seat. "In those last few moments, those seconds more important than anything that comes before or after, maybe you'll finally understand your error. Or maybe not; all I know is that I'll be a little more peaceful." He turned to step out of the shattered windshield. 626 tried to stand up again, but he was seated by another bolt. "NO!" The fire in 627's eyes was clearer now than it had ever been. "You sit there and think about what you've done!" He pushed a lever near where the steering wheel once was further down than 626 had seen on his own faction's pods, then it snapped, and the furious Experiment stepped off the hood. The pod began to stir.<p>

"626!" The blue Experiment heard his girlfriend exclaim. He could only assume that 624 had been on the outer wall of the base, as she seemed to emerge from the furthest end of the roof. 300 and 345 appeared from different ends. She hooked 627 in the eye on the way to the misshapen Federation pod, and jumped on the hood with all intentions of pulling 626 free of the rumbling vehicle. They reached out for each other, but a speedily-recovered 627 reached out as well, grasping 624's foot.

"You're staying," Their antagonist growled with an eerie indifference. Despite stumbling onto the black, metal hood, the pink Experiment still reached for her partner. She might have been successful in her efforts, were more time allowed before the pod rocketed off like a grounded firework along the roof. She tried to cling on with the pads of her palms, but 627's hold on her foot was stronger. Both of 345's arms pursued the pod, but they were soon left in the dust. 621 noticed the pod heading in his direction, and was delighted that it coincided with Gantu's ducking to avoid an airborne drop kick from 221. The marksman jumped up and grasped both of the Captain's fin-like growths, his upper right hand becoming moist with the fin he had maimed earlier, and brought his head level with the oncoming doom.

"Remember, remember!" The green Experiment cackled as he looked his hatred in the eye. He felt suddenly light like a balloon, as if he would elevate towards heaven at any moment. His laughter was disturbingly reminiscent of 345's.

"Forget it!" Gantu grasped 621 whole, changing his murderous beam to a look of terrified disappointment, as he stood up and out of the way of the speeding pod. As the marksman gazed off into the distance, he suddenly felt himself weighed down by something heavier than Gantu's grasp.

**IV**

"Come in, 626!" A blissful voice finally sounded from the intercom on the pod's devastated dashboard. The blue Experiment's struggle against the unforgiving, speeding wind had aged well by then. "Oh, come on, please answer," 624 persisted. 626 attempted to reach out and press the button next to the radio, but his arms and back were held down by the pressure from the wind, even stronger than 627 could hold him. He was able to press the button by extending his foot.

"I'm here, 624, don't worry," He strained.  
>"Oh, thank God..." She whispered. "Where are you now?!"<br>"I'm still going...Feeling pretty shitty after 627's beating. Where are he and Gantu now, anyway? They taken care of?"  
>"Yeah; 621 shot him in the side and he retreated. 627 was distracted by the gunfire so I grabbed 627 and threw him onto his pod as he took off. They're both gone for now,"<br>"Good...Good..."  
>"There's still one Federation pod left here, so we're using that to communicate to the one you're in,"<br>"Ah, clever,"  
>"We're gonna find you, 626! We'll track the pod and come get you!"<br>"I look forward to it...But you have to find Hamsterviel and Jumba, too,"  
>"We will! We'll find them and we'll kill them! And 627, as well! I'll kill them all for you!" Her voice was powerful, allowing only a bare shred of anguish slip past, but it reached 626's ears nonetheless.<br>"For all of us. For 501 and 502. For Number 89,"  
>"Absolutely!"<br>"...But leave 627 for me...Penance has to come to him, and I want to be the one to deliver it,"  
>"You got it...I love you, 626,"<br>"I love you, too, 624,"  
>"I'll find you. I promise I'll find you...This isn't goodbye,"<br>"You're still strong...Good. You're stronger than anyone else in the whole universe. We all are, and we're going to show them...All of this is just a minor setback...Now find that long-eared bastard,"  
>"I will...Can you see anything around you?!" The blue Experiment gazed around him before answering.<br>"Everything's white...Now it's dark and-" Before he could complete his description, the ship halted painfully, and he went tumbling out of the pod and onto his back. The ground was like sludge, and as he sat up, he found himself sitting in a repellent, brown mixture. Looking up, he noticed the dark sky pouring droplets of water like an army of faucets; he stared at the fascinating precipitation, hypnotized by its impossibility, until the sight of smoke brought him back to reality. Getting to his feet and turning his aching body around, he discovered the hopeless wreck the pod was in. The front was crushed into a hideous series of polygons, and the back end was giving off the smoke he had seen, though the water from the black sky was slowly killing it.

He peered through the broken windshield, pressing the button next to what was left of the intercom. "Come in, 624!" Not even a static buzz. "Please be there, 624! Please!" Silence. The blue Experiment pulled out of the windshield, turning around with his head hung, his ears lowered, and his fists clenching, wishing for a moment that 627's neck was within them. "Son of a..." The rest of his sentence was unheard over the sound of the sludge he kicked up in fury. He marched forwards, coming onto a ground that now felt hard and rough compared to the soft, brown sludge. He stared out into the endless, dark space in front of him, where there was nothing visible but the some more of the gray road he stood on. He stared for what seemed like ages, wishing for, at the very least, some unspecific creature to appear for him to unleash all his burning frustration upon. Finally, he heard a low croak, and glanced at the pavement to find a round, green creature with webbed feet and a face of immense indifference. 626 kept to his wished and picked the strange animal up indelicately before chucking into the black distance like a grenade. He suddenly felt lighter for a few seconds, but the weight of frustration returned to him in almost no time at all. He was back to staring at thin air. It wasn't long, however, before he saw a bright light headed towards him.  
>For a moment, he was distracted from his anguish and towards curiosity as the light grew brighter and closer. Then there was a heavy rumbling, like that of an engine, and 626 was hit square in the face by an enormous, horizontal bar of metal. As he lay on his back, his jaw throbbing from the impact, he was greeted with the unpleasant smell of gasoline, as well as a fleeting array of grey pipes zooming over him. Thinking quickly, he grasped the long metal at the end of it, which was identical to the one that had just struck him, and flipped over onto what seemed to be the rear end of a long, cylindrical vehicle. As the blue Experiment looked off at the junk pile at the side of the road, now free of smoke, secluded in bushes, and progressively shrinking as he moved, he thought that, at the very least, this vehicle would take him somewhere to shelter from the irritating water that clung to his fur. Perhaps it would even take him somewhere informative of this unusual planet.<p>

**V**

The truck eventually passed a humble shelter of dark orange on the lower part of a hill. 626 assumed that it was the rear, as it was incredibly undetailed, which he assumed the front was. By now, the black sky was beginning to turn a peaceful mixture of fiery orange and comforting purple. 626 abandoned his transportation here, sliding down the hill like it were a skateboard, drops of sludge pouring out behind him like the sparks 221 often emitted. When he reached the bottom, just behind the building, his fur was heavy and sopping from the sky's water; vine-like strands dangled from his elbows, and his feet were brown from the sludge. He stepped in a nearby puddle, at least remedying the latter change in appearance. Scanning the blank wall in front of him, he instantly discovered a small, rectangular window near the roof. It was ajar, making intruding simplistic. Once on the rough floor, he found himself behind bars in a dimly lit room; it seemed like the crudest prison in the universe. 626 figured that it would be best to await the planet's sunrise, when it would hopefully be livelier and more visible. He lay against the stone wall and his eyes eventually shut.

He was at peace for some time, drifting away into sleep's warm embrace. For a moment, he felt the familiar comfort of two soft hands, accompanied by two equally welcome antennae draping over his shoulders. His eyes slowly drifted open, and then widened in fear at the crimson conehead that was facing him. 627 grasped him around the throat and forced him up the wall, making his legs kick helplessly at the air as if they had minds of their own. 626 felt as though his lungs were withering like dead flowers as he stared into his nemesis' cold, black eyes. "Hey there!"

The blue Experiment was jerked awake by a cheerful greeting loud enough to shatter glass. As his breathing slowed to a steadier pace, he discovered that the greeting was not for him, as nobody observed him through the bars in the newborn sunlight. Standing up and shaking the ghost of the nightmare from his mind's eye, 626 peered past the metal to see a young female of a species not too familiar with, standing merrily in front of a cage diagonal from his own. She wore a blindingly yellow t-shirt, had scarlet hair tied into a ponytail, and had a face dotted with infinite freckles. The cage she faced contained a white hairball of a creature, panting happily at her with it dripping tongue dangling from its jaw. The girl pulled the bars away like a simple door, and the creature hopped out. She gently ordered it to 'roll over' and it complied, ending up on its back, still panting. The girl rubbed the creature's belly, and it purred while pumping one of its hind legs. "You're perfect!" She picked the creature up and carried it away. When the coast was clear, 626 quietly pushed his own bars away and inspected his newly lit surroundings. If it was a prison, it was easily the most colourful and welcoming prison he had ever seen. The walls were a soothing blue colour, brighter than that of his fur, and had posters depicting short beings just like the departed girl and the white hairball embracing warmly and smiling from ear to ear. 626 stroked his chin at these illustrations, and then found himself facing his own reflection in a mirror. What fascinated him was that, aside from two bizarre twigs of antennae atop his scalp and three sickly spines protruding from his back, as well as his blade-like claws, his appearance was akin to that of the hairy creatures. He possessed similar fur, a similar round nose, similarly coloured eyes and shaped ears. He glanced again at his claws, and found them simple to retract. An idea was weaving itself in his head like a quilt. He focused a little harder, and found the two skinny antennae on his head retreated as well. With a little more effort, the spines vanished, too. The idea was fully fabricated in his mind; he knew now just what to do while he found a way back to his rebellion. He chuckled lowly at his own brilliance, though he found its sound rivalled by a choir of quiet whimpering. Glancing around briefly at the other cages, he found they each contained at least one of the hairy creatures, now backed away into the most shadowed corner, nearly invisible. 626 scoffed at them; their competition was unnecessary anyway.

"Hello?" Not a moment too soon; the disguised Experiment leaped onto the ceiling faster than the wind as another girl entered. He stood on his feet, viewing her through his inverted vision. She was not as immediately clamorous as the previous visitor. Her hair was dark like the night sky 626 had been stuck with hours ago. "Hello?!" She wore a red muumuu which reached her sandalled feet, and was patterned with white silhouettes of flowers. She progressed slowly through the short, inviting hall, reaching the end without noticing any of the cowards in the shadows. "Are there any animals in here?!" 626 seized the opportunity and dropped down right behind her, putting on a smile as wide as the posters depicted, despite the unnatural aura that it filled his face with. The girl turned around and didn't even flinch at his sudden appearance. She only gave a timid smile, not at all like on the posters, raised her hand shyly, and said "Hi..."

This girl would teach him anything and everything he'd need to know about his new surroundings. Nobody would ever dream an antagonist of the Galactic Federation would serve as this gullible girl's pet. It was only a matter of time before the way back to his comrades revealed itself. 626 raised his hand just as the girl had done, maintaining the fake beam all the while. This would be far too easy. "Hi!"


	7. Isolation

Chapter 5:  
>Isolation<p>

**I**

"Sorry, sir! My bad! You can sue if you want!" The frantic apology confused the plump, shirtless man as the young girl who had bumped into him ran past. He was not comforted by the bright green ice cream cone formerly in his hand now upside-down on the soft, orange sand. "Hang on a second..." He was too disappointed to react to the flash from a camera the girl had taken out of her backpack. "They make mint taste kinda like paint, anyway!" Lilo's reassurance fell on the spherical man's deaf ears, though she didn't have time to notice. She was already running late, and the weight of the blue backpack she carried was a constant reminder of it.

**II**

Despite running faster than any exclamations from her overzealous gym teacher could motivate her to, Lilo still arrived at the blank, yellowish-brown brick of a school to find the usual bustling crowd of students absent from its undecorated front. She didn't bother going to her classroom, as she knew that she'd only be told by the irritable Mrs. Robinson to go see Mr. Durand. The only thing more frustrating would be the tasteless, thoughtless insults from Mertle and her friends, or friend, rather. Lilo had a theory that Mertle just had one friend and cloned her twice perfectly to create three. She knew all of this was inevitable, but seeing the principal would at least grant her more time to brace herself for it. She was wary around Mertle since two days prior, anyway. Regardless, he was not pleased to find a student arriving later than requested.

"Twice this week, Lilo," He sternly began. His dark green jacket and scarlet tie were draped like a cape over his chair, leaving only his partially buttoned up dress shirt. Lilo always wondered why he didn't just leave the jacket at home in the boiling Hawaii weather. She stood across from his desk in his broom cupboard of an office, feeling like a suspect before a judge in the world's smallest court. "Is there something wrong at home? Can your sister not drive you to school in the morning?"  
>"No, she can; she had her full license. I just like to walk to school. It's not very far, anyway,"<br>"Then why are you tardy more than once?"  
>"It's, uh, kind of a long story,"<br>"Could you abbreviate it at all?" He was responded with a raised eyebrow. "Could you make it a short story?"  
>"Alright..." Lilo took a quick breath, and then started her story off with the speed of an Olympic runner. "I was on my way to bring Pudge his daily offering, but Nani, for some reason, decided to pack me a tuna sandwich for lunch today instead of ham. I almost always offer ham to Pudge, but even if it wasn't that, I could never offer him tuna! You know what tuna is, right?"<br>"...Fish-" Mr. Durand was befuddled, and Lilo's speed was not helpful.  
>"It's fish! What kind of creature would I be if I fed Pudge tuna?! We'd have storms for months, the town would be destroyed! So I had to go back home, only to find that we were out of ham! So I made a peanut butter sandwich, gave it to Pudge..." She took a deep breath. "And then I came here,"<br>The principal was silenced for a moment. "Is Pudge a fish?"  
>"Yeah. I didn't say?" Lilo finally slowed to an acceptable speed.<br>"And what was that about storms?"  
>"Oh, Pudge controls the weather,"<br>"That's why you give him these 'offerings?'"  
>"Well, of course,"<br>Mr. Durand was speechless for another second. "Look, Lilo, you're barely skimming by as it is, and this kind of tardiness isn't helpful to your grades at all. If you want to improve, you can start by organizing your priorities and-"  
>"Organizing what? Sorry," Lilo looked confused, only irritating her principal.<br>"_Putting school first_ and getting here on time. At least give us the impression that you care about your studies,"  
>"If you say so, Mr. Durand..." She turned to exit the cramped quarters.<br>"...Lilo?" He called her back just before she left. "You know you can always come here if you have something to say," His stern tone became as soft as it could manage.  
>"Yeah, I know." She shut the door and headed down the hall to waste another six-and-a-half hours in Mrs. Robinson's class.<p>

**III**

Lilo wished Nani would arrive sooner. The one day that she desperately wanted to walk, and she needed to wait for her sister to pick her up for some droll social worker. Even if it was considerably cloudier than it had been that morning, movement was always an effective distraction. She could hardly bear to stare at the condescending 'C-' any longer. She soon came to the simple solution; crumpling the paper in her fist, though she found its disappearance did not erase its image from her mind. A distraction quickly came to mind, though; she split away from the bustling crowd of students and the echoing gibberish of their combined voices, setting her bag down on a free part of sidewalk. After zipping open the second largest pouch, she pulled out a flimsy doll of her own creation. It was had many pale shades of green from the different sources of fabric it borrowed from, and had two enormous buttons for eyes. It had yellow hair that was tied up to appear like a tower on top of its head, and its mouth consisted entirely of stitches.

"How are you doing, Scrump?" Lilo asked her craft.  
>"Pretty good. How are you, Lilo?" Scrump asked. Though her mouth of stitches was immobile, she had a playful, bouncy voice, though its deepness was obviously faked. She sounded similar to Lilo.<br>"I'm doing OK, I guess. Kinda screwed up my science test, though." She held Scrump's floppy head up, feeling the four eggs stuffed within it.  
>"Aw, that sucks,"<br>"Tell me about it..."  
>"Well, at least Nani doesn't have to see, right? I mean, no need to get a twenty thousandth earful from her,"<br>"Yeah, you're right. I don't really have to show Nani; I never even told her about the test anyway." She made the egg sack tilt to one side.  
>"Is Pudge the Weather God on his good side today?"<br>"Yeah, Pudge is good, too. He was a bit annoyed that the offering was late, but since he liked the peanut butter he said he'd only let it rain a little bit tonight." They both glanced up at the clouds, nowhere near as grey as they had been a few months ago.  
>"Phew, I was worried he'd make <em>another<em> huge, slippery rainstorm. That wouldn't be good..."  
>"No...It wouldn't be..." Lilo's voice trailed off. Her head hung pathetically as she shut her eyes. Scrump was quick to deter from the sensitive subject.<br>"Sheesh, your sister better get here before half-sight shows up,"  
>"Yeah, I hope Nani shows up before Mertle comes along, too..." The doll's tactic was effective. "I know I might've gone just a little bit overboard, but she kinda deserved it, if you think about it." Scrump slouched.<br>"Of course she did! Her copy-paste friends are too dense to do anything, and that bitch Mrs. Robinson-"  
>"<em>Language<em>, Scrump!"  
>"Sorry. That <em>butthead<em> Mrs. Robinson...?" The doll groaned.  
>"Better,"<br>"-Can't pay attention to anything but her stupid 2-year-old, so _somebody _had to do it!"  
>"I guess..."<br>"...Hey, maybe that social worker Nani called can tell you how to put up with half-sight!"  
>"Maybe. Social workers <em>are<em> supposed to solve problems and stuff. Maybe he'll have some weird, secret trick for it or something. We'll have to see..." Scrump looked to its right, where Lilo's focus was promptly attracted.

"Oh, shit..." Scrump muttered.

"Oh, no..." Lilo muttered at the same time. To her dismay, another student was approaching her with a look of revulsion on her face. She had curly hair that burned orange, and glasses that Lilo thought she only wore to appear intelligent as opposed to improve her vision. More recently, however, the left lens overlapped a bandage instead of an eye. The injured girl was closely followed by three others, all blank slates with little differences aside from the colors of their hair, eyes, and clothes. They were always behind the first girl. "Hi, Mertle." Lilo disguised dread perfectly with cheerfulness.

"Hey, Lilo," Mertle, however, made no attempt to obscure her contempt. "Still talking to a bag of eggs?"  
>"Her name's Scrump," Lilo corrected her, holding her makeshift doll close. "And at least she's not being a snothead like somebody else around here,"<br>"Yeah, I can see her now,"  
>"I was talking about you,"<br>"Yeah, sure,"  
>"...You feeling any better?"<br>"A little, no thanks to you,"  
>"I didn't mean to hit you that hard,"<br>"Well, what should I have expected from a crazy person?"

"Yeaaaaah!" Mertle's companions chimed in an irritatingly bland snarl that would make one abhor their ears.

"Still, though..." Lilo persisted. "I didn't want you to get any bandages. I just wanted you to stop talking about how much better your essay on democracy was than mine,"  
>"It's not my fault that you're completely stupid, Lilo!" The dark-haired girl could feel something in her head throbbing, trying desperately to escape in some form, perhaps through her mouth her arms. She glanced down at Scrump.<br>"I'm not doing that again, Scrump." She then looked back at a muddled Mertle, smiling and holding out her creation. "Here, why don't you introduce yourself?" The cheerfulness seemed truer this time, though it was in vain. Mertle smacked the doll out of Lilo's hands, and it landed on the street, where a long, ominous, black car was passing through. The school's presence limited its speed, but regardless, Lilo, becoming pale and scorching, hurried into the road to retrieve Scrump far ahead of the car, which seemed to slow down as it passed her.  
>"You're such a weirdo, Lilo," Mertle snarled, before her mouth curled into a contemptible smirk. "Weirdlo,"<br>"Weirdlo!" Her cardboard friends repeated. Lilo was too out of breath to respond before they turned and left, laughing their obnoxious, high-pitched laugh. Lilo tried to steady her breathing, but the throbbing trying to break free of her head was too persistent. She couldn't contain it any longer; she swept up her bag and ran down the sidewalk, too quickly to notice the shadowing car still by the sidewalk.

**IV**

_And although it's always crowded,_  
><em>You still can find some room.<em>  
><em>Where broken hearted lovers<em>  
><em>Do cry away their gloom.<em>  
><em>You make me so lonely, baby,<em>  
><em>I get so lonely,<em>  
><em>I get so lonely I could die.<em>

These old records were among the few remedies for the hammering within Lilo's brain. Her father's old record player was set on a coffee table next to the couch, sharing room with a shaded lamp. An assemblage of Elvis records lay scattered across the floor, omitting the carpet's bright red, yellow, and orange pattern from view. The troubled girl lay back against the short bookcase, formerly by the shut curtains but now more to the right, barricading the front door, letting the music drown out the inaudible sound of her own clamorous thoughts.

"Bullseye!" Scrump noisily proclaimed. She was slumped down beside Lilo, holding an array of magnetic darts, which the troubled girl was throwing one by one at a circular board propped up on the couch across from her. A crude doodle of Mertle was taped to the board, with some assistance from the darts already thrown. Lilo continued to mouth the lyrics to 'Heartbreak Hotel' as a dart struck Mertle's forehead. "Thanks, Scrump. It's all in the wrist movement," She replied her doll's compliment. Once Scrump's supply of darts was exhausted, Lilo forced herself to her feet to strip them from Mertle, and then return to her former lifeless posture. Only one dart had been thrown and one more verse had passed when there was suddenly a banging on the door behind the bookshelf.

"Lilo?!" The most familiar voice in the world called from outside, audibly concerned. Lilo pretended not to hear and persisted her lip-syncing, putting a dart through Mertle's sizeable nose. "LILO?!" Though angst was still detectable in Nani's tone, her volume was raised significantly. Lilo could feel a banging on the door through the bookshelf not dissimilar to the one she was repressing in her head, yet did little more than readjust her aim for her next throw. "Lilo! Not this again..." She could tell that her sister had peeked through the dog flap to find a blank square of wood instead of the house's interior. "Is that the bookshelf?! Lilo, are you bonkers?! What do you think the social worker's gonna think when he sees this?!" The persistent rattling finally got through to Lilo, and she stood up, scooped up Scrump in both arms, and left the room. She remembered that the toaster had pinged a while ago, anyway.

"Lilo, come on, open the door!" Nani tried her best to steady her voice as she pleaded with her sister. She bent down on her knees, dirtying her dark pink t-shirt against the green welcome mat, and attempted to push the bookcase from the door through the minuscule dog flap. She was successful, though the deafening sound of a heavy amount of wood hitting the floor was not congratulatory. She stood up, trying to be optimistic that at least the door was functional again. She breathed in and out deeply for a moment, hoping to release as much of her anguish as possible before...

"The Pelekais?" A voice as deep as an abyss asked right behind Nani. Turning around in a jolt, she discovered an enormous, black, brick house of a man donning a suit darker than the most shadowy night. Between his bald head and rugged jaw was a pair of translucent, dark sunglasses, behind which Nani was somehow apprehensive to see behind. "Is this the Pelekai residence?" The discomforting man repeated when a response did not seem imminent.  
>"Oh, uh, yes! Yes, this is the Pelekai residence and I am..." Something important in Nani's brain shut down as her stomach performed acrobatics inside her.<br>"Yes?"  
>"Nani! I am Nani Pelekai and you must be-"<br>"The 'dumb maniac,'"  
>"Oh, uh...Oh!" She was suddenly returned to an event mere minutes ago, in which she honked at and loudly scolded a slow, ominous, black car after discovering Lilo's disappearance from their planned meeting spot. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea it was you, sir! If I had, I never would've called you, uh, that! I was only, uh-"<br>"If you say so...Nani." The man's engulfing voice was like a serpent coiling around Nani's head, and then securing itself far too tightly.  
>"...I'm so sorry, I haven't asked your name yet, Mr...?" Nani forced her strongest, toothiest smile.<br>"Bubbles," He answered slowly. Were Nani on the outside of the situation looking in, she may have felt compelled to let loose a chuckle. In her real position, however, anything even remotely humorous was undetectable. "Might I come in? I'd much like to meet your daughter-"  
>"Um, my sister actually; Lilo,"<br>"Your sister?"  
>"Yes...A few months ago, there was a car accident...Our parents were, uh..."<br>"I understand..." He answered lowly. Nani didn't realize that Bubbles' voice has softened until after it had passed. She missed it dearly. "What did they do?"  
>"Our mom taught, uh, hula just a few blocks from here, and our dad was an author, only published twice,"<br>"I see...Now, I would like to see Lilo,"  
>"Certainly. Um..." Either open the front door and show him the toppled bookcase, or descend the two flights of pale balcony stairs, go around the wooden house with a scarlet roof, and enter the house via the back door. Considering it in the minimal instant she was allotted to do so, Nani rationalized that getting Bubbles through the front would at least establish some form of competence. Without another word, she pushed the door open, immediately regretting her decision at the sight of the scattered records accompanying the fallen shelf and books. The bizarre illustration of a girl in glasses pinned by darts against a circular board only contributed to the eyesore.<br>"Do you mind my asking what your sister was doing home alone?" The slimy serpent of Bubbles' voice persisted before Nani could dream up an excuse.  
>"Did, uh, did I say she was on her own?" She was beginning to disbelieve that smiling required fewer muscles than frowning.<br>"No, but I noticed she was not with you when you were trying to enter this house. That would dictate that she was already inside when you arrived,"  
>"Oh, well...You sure are clever..." She spat out a hollow chuckle. "Sorry about the mess, um, kids will be kids, you know?"<br>"If you say so." He glanced over at the drawing on the dart board. "She's done something like this before, then?"  
>"Wha-, uh, no, no. Just getting all that youthful energy out, ya know?" Nani accompanied her nervous cover-up with a seemingly enthusiastic swing of her arm.<br>"Hm...Where is your sister now?"  
>"She's, uh, she's around...Lilo?!" She called out as motherly as she could, masking her desperate hope that her sister would appear in a respectable manner. "Mr. Bubbles is here and he wants to meet you..." Thankfully, Lilo actually emerged from the kitchen, one hand holding Scrump, while the other held a piece of toast that looked more like buttered coal. She was silent, staring at Bubbles with a static look of unease.<p>

"Hello, Lilo..." The social worker's disposition was as rock hard for Lilo as it was for Nani. "I've heard a lot about you..." The silence persisted for a moment longer.  
>"You don't seem like a social worker..." She said with no particular emotion.<br>"I'm a special classification,"  
>"...Have you killed anyone?" She asked calmly, as if she were conducting a job interview.<br>"That's a different subject for a different time..." The repellent smell of smoke filled everyone's nostrils. Bubbles looked suspiciously at the pitch black bread in Lilo's hand. "What is that you're holding?" It took the young girl a moment to answer.  
>"I made you some toast..." Her blank expression remained unbroken. "Then Scrump and I went to play darts while we waited for it to cook, but we got a bit caught up in the game and..."<p>

"Oh, no!" Nani was already speeding into the kitchen by the time an irritating beeping sounded from it.

"That's very thoughtful of you." Bubbles knelt down to be level with Lilo, but his naturally giant height made it impossible; the girl's blank stare was still directed upwards. "Are you often left home by yourself?"  
>"Just sometimes. Nani has waitress shifts in the afternoon, and I have hula practice twice a week. Other times I practice at home or play with Scrump." The doll wobbled playfully in her hands.<br>"Do you and...'Scrump' often play darts?"  
>"I guess so,"<br>"And listen to records very loudly?"  
>"Oh, yeah! Nothing's better than Elvis!"<br>"Hm, well, I can agree with you there." The social worker managed a faint smile. Lilo did not realize how satisfying it was until his face had reverted to stone. "I wanted to ask you about that drawing on the dart board..."  
>"Oh, that's my friend..." Lilo's face became blank again when Bubbles raised an eyebrow. "She's been naughty, so I have to punish her..."<br>"I see..." He paused for a moment. "Lilo?"  
>"Yes, Mr. Bubbles?"<br>"Are you...Happy?" It was now Lilo's turn to take a pause, though hers made Bubbles' seem like less than a millisecond. Nani's anxiety had been transparent to the social worker, as were many things in the endless cases he had worked in over nearly a decade, but Lilo's empty face, staring up at him as he did down at her, was completely impervious. Were his face not fixated on his typically strict mask, he might have furrowed He reached into his jacket's breast pocket and retrieved a small, white card. "I want you to call me the next time you're home alone." He handed the frozen girl the card, and she only stared blankly at it after taking it. The beeping had ceased a while ago, and Nani now re-emerged with a moist brow.  
>"Your first name is Cobra..." Lilo's tone could not be described as anything more than a general statement, to which Cobra Bubbles did not even reply. The gigantic social worker only stood up straight and looked at her older sister. Though his sunglasses masked his eyes, Nani could sense a stomach-turning disapproval emitting from them.<br>"You and Scrump can run along now, Lilo," He nodded to them lowly. The girl and her doll scurried back into the living room without another word. Bubbles turned to Nani once Lilo was out of sight. "Your sister tells me you work as a waitress in the afternoons?"

"Yes, that's right," Nani calmed her voice as best as she could. "At the luau just a few blocks from here. I drop Lilo off for hula class on the way there on the days she has it, and then pick her up afterwards,"  
>"I see...And the conclusions of your shift and her class; they coincide?"<br>"They do..." Nani thought she might never smile again after today; doing so might resurrect her disguised dread from this conversation.  
>"Hm..." Cobra reached up to his pitch black glasses, revealing to Nani what she had been hesitant to see since the moment he appeared. She briefly recalled the creature Medusa from Greek mythology, as the social worker's dark brown eyes similarly petrified her once her own eyes met them. "Don't think I can't see everything wrong with what you've shown me today..." His voice was somehow lower than it once was, though Nani was unsure if it was simply her own consternation. "I would list them, but I can clearly see that you've already identified your own mistakes, leaving your sister unattended and such..." Her hoarse smile persisted, though it had shrunk considerably since the sunglasses were removed. Neither of them could deduce why Nani did not simply cease smiling altogether. "In that case, I will merely write this off as a 'bad day' that people typically excuse their failures on. I will see you again tomorrow in the hopes that you will be better prepared, but know that you are <em>not <em>off to a good start. Quite the contrary, in fact." He took a single step towards Nani, glancing down at her not unlike he had at Lilo earlier. The smile was finally vanquished and hurriedly replaced by the true unease Nani had disguised all this time. "I will show myself out...Have a nice day..." With that, he was out the door, which was shut obstreperously behind him, as if it lead to a nuclear fallout shelter.

Nani let out a load of carbon dioxide, feeling like she'd been submerged in water for far too long. Everything was already difficult enough; juggling work with Lilo, day after day. All the troubles she and her sister had to push through, together and individually, she was barely able to handle. She never asked for this overwhelming duty, and yet fate cruelly forced it upon her regardless. She wanted to do everything in her power to help her sister, to find that one particular keyhole in a child's imagination that Nani had long since lost to adolescence. She had called for a social worker in the hopes that there was someone else who held the key to the lock, but all she was given was a wider burden. The weight she carried was already limiting the strength she had at the untimely age of 19; what Cobra brought was less than unnecessary, it was like a malicious prank from Mübi. The overflowing barrel of her responsibilities and anxieties rattled around inside her skull, nearly impossible to keep upright. Finally, when she accepted that it wouldn't stand, she set it on its side, and released its contents.  
>"LILO!" Though her volume covered the entirety of the house, no response was audible. Nani breathed carefully, figuring that a less clamorous call would be more effective. "Lilo!" She was calmer now, and surely enough, a series of increasingly noisy rumbles sounded from between the kitchen and the living room, where the stairs were. A small figure wrapped in an long, bright green duvet like a hood soon zipped past Nani before she could react. "Lilo!" Why did she always have to do this? All Nani wanted to do was talk to her; why did her younger sister rebel so strongly against such a simple notion? "Lilo, can you come here, please?!" She walked quickly after her in more than a stroll but less than a march, yet she still evaded her as if out of fear. Nani eventually grew exhausted of her elusive sister's insolence and gave proper chase. "Lilo!" Her exclamations were still ignored by Lilo, who seemed like a hooded thief fleeing from an infuriated guard. After a multitude of laps around the house's lower level, the younger of the two eventually turned left past the stairs, entering the laundry room well ahead of Nani. Her elder slowed down, too frustrated to feel weary, and entered the miniature room slowly. As she stepped onto the chequered blue and white floor, she noticed an immediately familiar, bright green duvet within a white plastic basket in front of the two cubic, white machines against the far wall. She lifted her head back at the heavens, taking a deep breath before tearing the cover from Lilo's oblivious hiding spot. The young girl let out a yelp before attempting escape again, though she was quickly pulled back around the waist and replaced in front of Nani.<p>

"Lilo, what was going on with you back there?!" She questioned her like an unforgiving police officer. Lilo still struggled to flee, though Nani held her in place. "What were you thinking; making that mess in the living room and barricading the door again!?" She received only a frustrated grunt in response. Lilo did not even open her eyes to face her. "Why didn't you wait at school?! I thought I told you that I'd pick you up today!" Only more grunting and more struggling. "I told you that we had to be ready for the social worker! Now he thinks were a couple of loons!"  
>"NO!" Lilo suddenly exclaimed.<br>"Are you listening to me?!"  
>"NO!"<br>"No what?!" Her persistence yielded no valid answer, only an obnoxious amount of drool on her forearm. This distracted a disgusted Nani long enough to allow Lilo to escape, though now she moved in little more than a sombre stroll. "Lilo, this behaviour has got to stop!" The older sister stood up and wiped the saliva away with the dropped duvet, following the unhurried girl back down the hall. "You're not making things easier for me or yourself!"  
>"It's not getting easier anyway!" Lilo suddenly turned back and trumped her sister's volume. "What do you want from me?! You're always moaning about how crappy your stuff is like I'm the one who gets the easy stuff! Why don't you just get a rabbit instead if you don't care about me!"<br>"Well, at least a rabbit wouldn't talk back at me like that!" Nani did her best to sound like a parent, though the tone tasted stale in her mouth.  
>"You do to me, so why can't I?! You're not my mom!" The younger girl then turned and slowly ascended the stairs.<br>"No, but I'm the oldest, so you'll listen to-"  
>"So?! You get to do everything just because you're old?!" Lilo was halfway up the stairs now. Her sister remained on the lower floor, shouting after her. "Is that the only reason you listened to Mom?!" This earned an infuriated grunt from Nani.<br>"Go to your room!" She demanded clamorously.  
>"I was just going there, stupidhead!" Lilo was angered enough to stop and turn around. "What is the point of telling me to go to my room when I'm already going up there?! I mean, what is-WHAT IS THE GODDAMN POINT?!" With that, she turned back and stormed into her room like a charging rhinoceros, slamming the door with enough force to put Cobra to shame. Both the door and two pillows prevented either sister from hearing each other's frustrated screams mere seconds later.<p>

**V**

Neither sister knew why the bunk beds in Lilo's room still stood. It was a surprise from their parents on the girl's fourth birthday, and it overjoyed them both. They never assigned themselves bunks; who got which one was playfully randomized each night. Sometimes a game of checkers or chess was played to determine the bunks, the latter of which was occasionally simply won by whoever did not surrender. However, with both the passage of time and Nani's head start on it, the elder of the two eventually moved into another room down the hall, formerly useless aside from holding random furniture. Though the primary function of the bunk beds had since been unnecessary, they were never dismantled. Nani's best rationale was that it would only take more needless work to separate them than to leave them be. Lilo had been alternating bunks alone for years, and now she lay on the bottom bed. She had been there for nearly an hour, wishing dearly that she had brought up the record player or the dart board, so she'd have a reason to create a crude doodle of Nani. After a while, however, she had opted to remaining horizontal on the bed with Scrump, fishing her camera from her bag as rain began to hammer peacefully on her bedroom's window, just above the desk across from the foot of her bed. Though it was barely a sprinkle compared to the rain from months ago, it still forced upon Lilo the excruciating weight of melancholy. She automatically floated up like a balloon into the cold, translucent clouds in the most uninviting depths of her skull. Like an ominous, abandoned house surrounded by horrific rumours, it was a place that filled one with dread to be in, yet somehow enticed them to return. She drifted for several minutes, letting the endless, grey storm carry her away.

"Wow!" Scrump grabbed her roughly by the foot. "And I thought the woman at the luau last weekend was porky!" Lilo was abruptly pulled back down into the present. The doll had commented on a picture on Lilo's camera's screen; the device had been held up by the girl's vertical arm as automatically as she had been floating away.

"Oh, yeah, I took that one this morning..." Lilo now recalled a much earlier event; photographing the enormous man and his spilled, paint-tasting ice cream, from seeing his picture again. She scrolled through the collection of pictures in the camera, each one containing another spherical individual. "Aren't they beautiful?"

"Whatever you say, Lilo..." Scrump sighed, poorly masking disagreement. The door suddenly creaked open; Lilo didn't see it, but she could recognize the sound anywhere. "Oh, crap, here she comes..." The doll groaned.

"Hey..." It took Nani a moment to speak. When her sister didn't respond, her sight still locked onto the gallery of plump citizens above her head, she assumed her entry would be tolerated. To her relief, it was. She held a plate with a single, cheesy piece of pizza, rid of its refrigerated coolness courtesy of a microwave. "I brought you that last pizza slice in case you were hungry..." Lilo's response was not immediate, though she eventually let her arm flop back on the bed, dropping the camera, and then sat up with her body facing Nani, but her head facing the floor.

"We're broken..." She said quietly.  
>"Broken?" Nani was initially confused, but mentally concurred just as her sister began to elaborate.<br>"Our family, I mean. It's broken,"  
>"No..." She tried to speak as softly as her mother did. "Well..." She set the plate on Lilo's light brown bedside table, not far from a framed photo of their more youthful selves with two other individuals. A woman nearly identical to Nani held a smaller Lilo on her shoulders. She wore a fluent grass skirt, a peaceful, green shirt patterned with white flowers like Lilo's red muumuu, and a radiant necklace of pink dahlias. Next to her was a man wearing sunglasses, which did little to obscure the energy in his face. Beneath his gelled, black moptop was a beam wider than any human before him could create. Against his fiery orange t-shirt, with the last two buttons left undone, he hugged Nani, depicted her mere inches taller than the Lilo on the bed in front of her in the present. "Maybe a little..." Nani pulled her eyes from the photograph and back to Lilo as she knelt down to her level. The younger girl looked up at her with an expression half-upset and half-irritated. "OK, maybe a lot, but...Broken things can be fixed, right?"<br>"I guess..." Lilo picked up Scrump and fiddled with her flimsy hair.  
>"...I'm sorry I yelled at you," Nani said after a moment. "I keep forgetting how hard this must be for <em>you<em>, but yelling doesn't exactly make it easier, does it?"  
>"It's OK," Her younger sister replied, her gaze still on her custom doll. "That's what sisters do, right?" They both chuckled.<br>"You might as well be right," The elder mumbled as her laughter faded.  
>"...I'm sorry I swore earlier." Lilo looked up at Nani now. "I didn't mean to,"<br>"It's alright. I know I'm supposed to tell you you shouldn't curse, but honestly, there are worse things people can do,"  
>"I know..." Lilo had a fleeting glimpse of mere days ago, when Mertle's endless supply of boasts and insults poured into her brain like fuel into a gas tank. The fuel had boiled inside her skull for a minute, scorching beyond toleration, before her head couldn't stand it any longer. Her head had passed the fuel on to Lilo's hand, and her hand had passed it on to Mertle's face. "...I like you better as a sister than as a mom," She said to Nani once she remembered her surroundings. The older sibling didn't know what to say, so she only smiled and nodded.<br>"And I like you better for a sister than a rabbit." She sat down next to Lilo as pulled her close. The younger girl now smiled as well, though she still held Scrump.  
>"What's that spooky social worker up to?" Lilo curiously inquired.<br>"...He doesn't think I'm doing a good job at looking after you...At least from what he saw today..." Nani's tone sharpened slightly as she looked down at her sibling, though remained far from the volume she had demonstrated downstairs.  
>"That was all my fault, though!" Lilo sat up without so much as an attempt at defending herself. "How the hell is-Oops, uh, <em>heck <em>is that your fault?!"  
>"That's just what some people are like," Nani chuckled, relieved that she and her sister could now converse in a civil manner. "'It's always someone else's fault,'"<br>"...I think that's why Mertle Edmonds never gets in trouble,"  
>"That the girl you hit the other day?"<br>"Yeah." Lilo's gaze returned to the hardwood  
>"Hm...Tell you what, Lilo?" Nani successfully returned her sibling's gaze to her. "If I promised not to yell at you ever, except on special occasions, would you promise not to hit Mertle, barricade the door, leave the toaster on, or make the living room look like a hurricane went through it?" Lilo pondered the deal for a moment.<br>"Would tuesdays and bank holidays work?" She asked merrily.  
>"Works for me,"<br>"Then it's a deal!" They sealed it with a playfully firm handshake.

Suddenly, the window across from the foot of Lilo's bed lit up with a light orange. Curious, the two siblings were drawn to lean over the desk in front of the window to discover the color's source. They discovered what appeared to be a shooting star falling from the sky like a damaged aircraft. It left behind smoke that seemed thick as a house fire at first, but quickly faded into transparent air. The front seemed to the source of the orange light; it glowed brighter than the orange shirt the sisters' father wore in the framed photograph. It was bright enough to make a small chunk of the pitch black, raining sky appear as clear as the day before it. It was falling too fast to be seen for more than a few seconds, and then it hit the distant ground silently, the orange light becoming brighter before vanishing completely. Lilo and Nani stared off at the general area behind the rain where it landed, and then Lilo burst out.

"Get out! Get out!" She hurriedly pulled on her older sister towards the door, though in an excited panic as opposed to a malicious dismissal. "Come on! I have to make a wish!"  
>"Oh, you <em>have <em>to?" Nani cheerfully and sarcastically responded as she was led to the door.  
>"Yes! I called it! Come on, God gave you legs for a reason!"<br>"Yes, but I have them turned off now to save the batteries." The taller sibling playfully slumped onto her knees.  
>"Oh, come on!" Lilo half-groaned and half-laughed as she continued to try and drag Nani by the arm, but to even less avail than when she was standing.<br>"And so are my arms," The toppling girl continued. "And my entire body." She slumped down completely on her back, savoring this rare moment when she could forget about being a guardian and just be a sister again.  
>"Then why can your mouth still work?!" Lilo took Nani's foot and pulled, though there was no movement aside from the leg hovering above the floor. She then traversed to Nani's head to hoist her up under her arms. Her back only hovered as well, though Nani decided to giver her sibling a break and pretend to be moved from the ground. "That's it, no more ice cream for you!" Lilo got her to the door before her weight seemed to fall against her again. "You're doing this on purpose, Nani!"<br>"Maybe." The elder sister chuckled before allowing Lilo to successfully thrust her out the door. "Oh, so _now_ you stand up!" Lilo exclaimed hurriedly before slamming the door, which Nani discovered the hard way that her head had been too close to. She rubbed her throbbing head, though quickly chuckled it off at the amusing tomfoolery that preceded the small injury. In the midst of all the bustling that she had been thrust into, small games that lasted mere minutes or even seconds were like traveling backwards in time to a completely carefree era. An era in which all the concerns of her present were still several college years away. Nani was quickly pulled from her reminiscing when her sharp ears found Lilo's uncommonly soft voice from behind the door. Recalling what Lilo wanted to do in light of the shooting star, she leaned an ear against the door and listened more deliberately.

"Hey..." She heard her say peacefully. "I hope you're alright...You should be, otherwise that place is false advertising...I saw your star, so...I was wondering if you could...Maybe send me someone? A friend; someone who won't run off or be a stupidhead...Maybe you could send an angel. The nicest angel you have...If you could...But a friend would be awesome, too...Thanks...Sweet dreams..."

Nani remained at the door even after the prayer's conclusion. An idea was brewing in her brain like a delectable soup, its silent noise loud enough to blot out Lilo's gasp when what appeared to be a frog collided with her bedroom window. It wasn't long before the stew was ready to serve, and Nani's mouth curled into an excited grin.

**VI**

"I think we should get something nice and sturdy!" Lilo merrily suggested as she and Nani entered the box-like building. "Something that'll live for a long time, like a billion-and-a-half years!" She did not display the excitement that children exhibited on Christmas morning, but the more balanced level displayed upon the last snowy day of school before the holiday.

"We'll see what they have, Lilo," Nani replied. The animal shelter's bright orange interior was far more inviting than the dull shade of its outside walls. There were no decorations, pictures, or anything of interest on the walls aside from a tall, thin plant with very few branches in the lower left corner. The room was divided in half with a thin desk of the same shade of orange, with one part at the end having nothing but a top, along which a woman on the further side collected a signature from another on the opposite side. The shelter worker had ginger hair, and wore a plain white shirt and contrasting dark green pants, both baggy enough to make her seem more twig-like than she really was. The other woman was redheaded, and sported a sky blue t-shirt with a single button and long pants of a darker shade. Next to her, a girl about Lilo's age cuddled a dog coated with fluffy, snow white fur. The girl had scarlet hair like her mother's, tied into a ponytail, a radiant yellow shirt, and a face dotted with infinite freckles. As the girl exited the shelter with her mother, Nani couldn't help but notice the radius of her beam, coming near to one herself to think that a similar one would be on Lilo's face all too soon.

"Good afternoon!" The slender shelter worker greeted them. Perhaps the departed girl's wide smile was borrowed from her. "Adopting?"

"Uh, yes!" Nani was surprised by how quickly this enthusiastic employee's service was, considering nobody other than her seemed to be present. "What did you say you wanted, Lilo?" She gently encouraged her sister.

"Um..." The young girl's eagerness was replaced with a sudden timidness once she looked up at the grinning worker, which lasted barely a second before her eyes met the floor.

"Hey, don't you worry! We've got lots of dogs here!" The woman encouraged her, lowering her volume by the slightest fraction. Though Lilo's head remained lowered, her eyes were drawn successfully. "Why don't you come have a look at them all?" The shelter worker gently lifted the part of the desk that was only a top like a door, despite Lilo being short enough to duck underneath it without crawling. Lilo was enticed to enter the sky blue room that lay in the archway ahead; half of her was somewhat afraid to proceed, while another half was irritated at her strange and inconvenient fear.

"Go on..." Nani got down on one knee to nudge Lilo ever so gently forward. She looked back at her older sister after the forced step. "Go pick someone you like," She warmly added. The younger sibling's irrational fear was effectively vanquished, and she ventured into the blue room room with even more excitement than she had before.

"Hello?" She called out to the two rows of cages, which all seemed strangely misplaced against the colorful walls and posters of cartoonish children and dogs embracing. Lilo might've donated more thought to the inconsistent coloring, had it been more interesting than the discovery that, as she walked slowly further down the single hall of cages, that they all appeared vacant. The further halves of each of them were obscured in shadow, so she thought to try calling them out. "Hello?!" Louder than before, though the room was still silent enough for a pin dropping to sound like a monstrous roar. "Are there any animals in here?!" She was sickeningly reminded of her ignorant schoolmates. She had reached the sky blue wall without seeing a single dog, and so she turned around to search again. She found a result sooner than she expected; a dog of which sort she had never seen before was sitting right in front of her. His fur was the same blue as the calm ocean, and his body was a perfect balance between fat and thin; Lilo almost wanted to cuddle it immediately. His head was round and long horizontally, with towers of ears that stretched beyond it. What fascinated Lilo most, however, were the two large eyes that sat above the huge, circular button of a nose. Although the eyes were black, they felt crimson; the dog's eyes were burning. His muzzle was stretched into a wide beam that shriveled his fuzzy cheeks, but the eyes did not belong on the same face. There was no doubt in Lilo's mind that his eyes were on fire, the flames licking the sockets around them and aging them to dust. There was a translucent shield that prevented her from seeing the true flame, though, but she had a powerful feeling that there was an endless list of people who could see the fire in its entire hellish glory. The rest of the dog's face was as inviting as a child's, but his eyes belonged to a hateful revolutionary. Lilo recalled the irrational doubt she had felt before entering the hall of cages, and somehow knew that this dog had felt similarly only once, and regretted it enormously. Though his eyes housed their own impression of Hell, Lilo found no reason to fear them here. She smiled timidly and raised her hand. "Hi..."

As bizarre as this creature was, he might just be the angel she had prayed for. Though nobody would ever dream any angel could possess such demonic and rebellious eyes, Lilo was hopeful that they only hid a true friend behind them. It was only a matter of time before he revealed himself. To the girl's surprise, the dog raised its front paw, just as she had raised her hand, and spoke.

"Hi!"


	8. Inverse

Chapter 6:  
>Inverse<p>

**I**

626's voice was different to Lilo than it was to him. She heard a much higher tone that was somewhat gargled like a growl. The girl seemed frozen and pale since he had repeated her. Thinking quickly for his stratagem, the stranded Experiment gave Lilo the most convincing hug he could. It became simplistic once he figured to pretend that he was hugging 624.

"...Wow..." Lilo muttered in shock, as her face slowly became colorful again. Once they pulled away, she thought to test his obedience. "Sit, boy." The extraterrestrial was confused, yet this did nothing to slow his reaction; he sat cross-legged on the hard cement. "Roll over." A smile grew progressively wider on the girl's face. 626 promptly flowed backwards like a spring, bouncing off of his fingertips before concluding the backflip on his feet. His stomach responded negatively to his obeying this weak and feeble creature, though his brain forced it to bear with the plan for the time being. "Play dead." Lilo merrily and gently ordered. 626 began wheezing similarly to when he dreamed of being strangled by 627 mere moments ago, grasping his neck at the same time. He eventually dropped to his knees, and subsequently to his back, keeping his eyes half-opened. "...Well, that's convincing," Lilo remarked, slightly disturbed yet excited at the same time. She recalled the sensation she felt when taking in one of her father's horrific fictions, becoming infused with a gleefully fuzzy sense of nostalgia. Kneeling by the false corpse, she began playfully scratching his belly with both hands. Remembering his hellish eyes, which now opened completely to give her a confused look, Lilo was surprised to find how soft his ocean blue fur was. 626 was initially irritated by the spontaneous massage, but soon couldn't help but lean his head back and purr; her hands seemed to fill his stomach with butterflies. He thought he would have to fake the pumping motion with his foot that the previous dog had demonstrated, but found his leg two steps ahead of him already.  
>"You wanna go home?" Lilo asked, halting her rubbing. She was at the height of disbelief that the freckled ginger before her would walk right past this fascinating creature. At the same time, she was overjoyed that he was left over for her. 626 nodded happily at the request, looking forward more to reconnoitering the planet than seeing the girl's home, yet still pleased to know he had found a suitable temporary shelter. 'So gullible.' He thought. His only hope as he followed Lilo out of the bright blue hall of cages was that the rest of her species would be just as easy to deceive. His hope partly dashed when Nani and the shelter worker jumped like bats from Hell at his appearance. The worker's seemingly permanent beam finally died as she restrained whatever the blue creature was, while Nani got in front of her younger sister like a barricade, backing them both up towards the brightly colored wall.<p>

"W-W-Where did you find this, uh, this, uh-?" The worker became a broken record and turned as pale as a phantom.

"He just came up to me!" Lilo answered excitedly from behind Nani. "He came out and smiled and gave me a hug! I don't know what you guys are so scared of; he's super nice!"

"Well...Is it even a dog?" Nani reluctantly inquired, keeping her eyes on 626.

"Whatever he is, he's the coolest pet in the universe!" The young girl reacted like it was Christmas morning. The Experiment had to calm himself when his stomach turned at the word 'pet.'

"W-We have, uh, better dogs, you know?" The worker tried her hardest to revive her beam.

"Not as good as Stitch!" Lilo gladly objected. Everyone, even the bizarre animal, looked confused. "That's what I'm gonna name him! You like that name, boy?" The terrorist was caught off guard by the question, but, thinking quickly once again, faked a smile and nodded. "Come here, Stitch!" The younger sister emerged from behind Nani to hold her arms out for her new friend. 626 broke free of the worker with a simple and firm movement of his waist, giving her a quick glare before turning back to Lilo with his false smile again. He leaped into her arms, picturing 624 in his mind again. "See?" The girl looked up at her sibling, smiling wider than she had in ages, as she hugged 626. "He's perfect! Can we get him?! Please?!"

'Please, Miss? I won't stay long.' The Experiment thought as he looked up at Nani similarly. The elder sibling looked at the strange creature with a mixture of anxiety and uncertainty, and then back at Lilo's face-spanning beam. She pondered the decision carefully for a moment, and then abandoned her reluctance when she remembered the purpose of the trip.

**II**

"I don't know how you convinced me to buy that strange dog, Lilo," Nani exhaled a lie as she shut the front door, trying to remain optimistic that it would remain unbarred for a considerable amount of time.

"Stitch!" Lilo corrected, rubbing her new pet's belly again, interrupting his silent scheming of searching for the crashed pod again when night fell. His foot acted like the motor of a speedboat.

"Stitch," She repeated. "Alright, you and Stitch can play for a while, and then I'll take you to hula practice, alright?" She walked into the kitchen as she spoke, leaving the two children in the living room.

"Okay!" She stopped rubbing to scoop him up under the back and legs, like a heroic figure carrying a helpless bystander from a burning house.  
>"Ack! Igat youga deka?!" Stitch questioned irritably. He hadn't felt so clueless since his first meeting with 345.<br>"I'm taking you to see my bedroom,"  
>"Bedroom...Rest?" At the very least, he was about to have his first lesson on this species' lifestyle.<br>"Rest, playing around, or just chilling out to some Elvis." She explained gladly as she carried him upstairs almost effortlessly. Despite being almost the same size as her, Lilo found Stitch so light and nimble that she felt like she was carrying an armful of pillows.  
>"Elvis?" He sounded less annoyed and more curious.<br>"Ooh, just you wait, Stitch," She sounded excited, though the liar found this typical by now. He was too busy adjusting to his temporary alias to borrow any enthusiasm from the energetic girl. He was finally allowed on his feet again after they entered Lilo's room. "Say..." She began once she laid eyes on the bunk beds. "We can share the bunk beds now!" Her suggestion was met with a raised eyebrow. "Nani and I used to share them before she got her own room. So, you want the top one first, or the bottom one?"

Stitch stepped up to the option closest to him, intrigued and amazed at the bed's size and shape. The multitude of beds in the medical ward back at base now seemed like cup holders. He quickly noticed Lilo's handmade doll on the sheets, exposed by the messy state of the green duvet, as if they had been thrown off earlier in an excited rush. "Igata?" He asked, curious of Scrump's purpose if she wasn't actually the corpse of some repulsive creature.

"Oh, that's Scrump." Lilo scooped up her creation to show to her new friend. "Scrump, this is our new dog, Stitch!"  
>"...He looks like a pig with rabbit ears!" The doll scowled. The Experiment scoffed at her and turned his attention to scanning the other unusual objects in the room.<br>"Hey, I think he's cute!"  
>"And the way he's looking around..." Stitch had wandered to Lilo's desk during his search, and her school bag was just by his feet. "I bet he'll try to kill you in your sleep,"<br>"Why would he do that?!"  
>"For shits and giggles, probably. Kinda like Mertle,"<br>"Don't swear, Scrump!"  
>"Sorry..."<br>"Sure, he might not look like other dogs, his eyes are really creepy, and he sounds like someone's burning helium in his throat, but he could turn out to be really cool. We just need to give him a chance,"  
>"Well, that'd be more than what Mertle or Mrs. Robinson ever did..." Scrump turned her egg-filled head. "Or he could just be a nosy little bastard," Lilo glanced up to find the new arrival kneeling by her bag, reading intensely over a crumpled piece of paper, as if he were a teacher examining a student's poorly completed test.<p>

"Hey!" Lilo suddenly sounded as irritable as Scrump. Stitch was surprised that she was capable of such an emotion as the test was snatched from him.

"Paper...Ruined...Why?" The terrorist decided to try using more English, not only to extract information from his 'owner' more easily, but in case someone were to recognize the rebellion's tongue.  
>"It's nothing..." Lilo muttered in frustration as she recreated a jagged sphere with the paper and turned her back. "Just don't go poking into my stuff without asking!"<br>"Can...Stitch just...Show youga?" The Experiment peered around her sternly.  
>"No, just forget it!"<br>"_Lilo!_" He exclaimed, loud and firm enough to petrify the embarrassed girl. She saw the flame in his eyes roar for just a second. "_Give Stitch paper now!_" As he was hurriedly given the messy paper ball, he couldn't help but feel as though he were Number 300. "Table..." He sat in the chair and unwrapped the humiliating 'C-', while Lilo timidly came up next to him. "Why...Give...Tests?" He inquired, taking a pencil rolling freely along the desk.  
>"Um, to see if we were listening, I guess," She answered reluctantly.<br>"Naga...Listened?" The girl was surprised by how stern he had suddenly become.  
>"I-I tried, but Mrs. Robinson just rambled on for ages and ages about nothing and-"<br>"Okitaka!" Accidentally using his translation of the word only frustrated him further. He now longed for the girl's previously chirpy attitude, as her strange and insolent tone now only made him wish he were governing now.

This oversensitive girl who spoke to repellent toys, her dull sister, and the insane and squeamish shelter worker were all in desperate need of the Experiment's discipline. He dreaded encountering more examples of this unsightly species. He looked back down at Lilo's work, finding numerous results of unsolved, incorrect, and even unorthodox fractions beneath the C-, crimson as 627's fur. To Stitch, these equations were merely a matter of simple logic. This girl really was hopeless. He couldn't be as blunt as he preferred, yet he could still stamp out the weakness in front of him.

"Lilo...Made...Decimals?" He found the first question; 7/10 ÷ 3/5 = 2.3/2', followed by a visibly rushed red 'X.'  
>"Yeah, Mrs. Robinson just said to divide the tops and bottoms like normal, then put the answers into a fraction,<br>"Robinson is stupid," The Experiment snapped more quickly than his previous attempts at the second language, although he wished to insult the student instead. "Two fives...Ten...Yes?"  
>"Uh-huh,"<br>"Like ten on bottom...In first fraction..." Though the Rebellion's timid medic was irrelevant, Stitch was still reminded of him. "So make two...of second fraction...so both have ten..." The equation was altered to '7/10 ÷ 6/10.' Lilo leaned in curiously. "Multiply...Across..."  
>"Oh, yeah, cross-multiplying." The question changed again to '710 x 10/6.' "I know that." The revolutionary had not expected her to catch on so quickly. He was unsure if he should be pleasantly surprised or irritated. He wrote out the answer; '70/60.' "Which makes one and 10/60...One and 1/6...And then 7/6...?" The girl simplified the answer completely. "Is that right?" She inquired to her speechless dog, who answered with a reluctant nod. "Really?" A more confident nod was given as Stitch strained his fuzzy cheeks into another false smile. "...Hey, could I try your trick with the other ones?" Her previous energy was slowly returning, as though a photograph fading into visibility on paper.  
>"Yes,"<br>"And then we can play darts!"  
>"Darts?" The alien was both confused and intrigued.<br>"Yeah. There's a round, green board downstairs with a picture of a one-eyed stupidhead on it. I can finish a few questions if you can bring it up?"  
>"Okay." The Experiment surrendered his seat for Lilo before leaving the room and descending the stairs.<p>

The dart board on the sofa stood out like a potato in a head count of Sontarans, primarily due to the monstrous doodle of the bandaged Mertle still stuck to it by tape and magnetic darts. The target-like formation of the increasingly large, green and white circles hinted blatantly at its purpose. It also reminded Stitch of similar patterns put on metallic dummies, upon which 621 would spend portions of his spare time practicing his marksmanship. He became absorbed into his own memories like water into a sponge, so he experienced an unpleasant thud when he found his legs had automatically carried him back to Lilo's room. After shaking the reoccurring gallery of reminiscence from his focus, the stranded revolutionary found his frustrating student still humbly writing away. He took the opportunity to survey the room some more, in particular the unsightly doll still upon Lilo's bed.

Whilst one hand kept hold of the dart board, the other picked Scrump up without delicacy. He glared at the craft like he would glare at Hamsterviel and Jumba before too long, while Scrump stared back at him with her permanent, sewn-up grimace. As he examined the doll, feeling her skull made of eggs which he felt all too tempted to crush, he couldn't help but feel an ice cold shiver run through him, as if he were standing beneath a harsh, hammering rainfall. Stitch dropped the hodgepodge back on the bottom bunk with a scoff, randomly turning his attention eastwards, discovering a framed photograph depicting four joyous people. Two of them were smaller than the others, and they bore startling resemblances to the two girls he was currently stuck with. The two taller creatures' absence in reality sparked his curiosity. He quickly abandoned it, though, to return his focus back to maintaining a sturdy a sturdy disguise.

"All done, Stitch!" Lilo called at last. The Experiment, keeping the dart board in hand, came to check her work. He was surprised to find the new amount of correct answers, yet disappointed that he would have to be the first Experiment to compliment a subordinate.  
>"Good..." He muttered, still looking at the quickly improved and still-wrinkled exam.<br>"What?"  
>"Not all...But nearly..." He raised his voice and faked a smile at the girl.<br>"Really?!" She beamed bright enough to cause blindness. She was answered with a nod, which she responded with an airtight hug. "And it's all thanks to you!"  
>"Oh..." Now she was the first subordinate to abandon stubbornness for gratitude. Hundreds of fully grown citizens in the quadrant, all like difficult teenagers, and then one small girl who found the value of his abilities. He still felt disappointment, though it now made space for pleasant surprise. "On Monday, when Mrs. Robinson gives us another bible of homework, you think you could help me with it?" She asked merrily as she pulled away, keeping her hands upon the Experiment's fuzzy shoulders.<p>

"Okay," He answered, his beam becoming slightly less false.  
>"Great! Thanks!" Her expression softened. "I should've just asked asked you for help, huh? Then we wouldn't have had to yell at each other,"<br>"Yes..." Stitch responded warmly. "Want answers...Ask." He then wished that investigating for the elusive Jacques Hamsterviel had been that simple.  
>"I'll remember that,"<br>"Yes, remember, remember,"  
>"What?"<br>"What?" Silence for a moment.  
>"...Oh, we were gonna play darts, right?!"<br>"Right!" Stitch handed Lilo the target he had placed alongside the desk. "Who...Is...?" He glanced at the bandaged girl's picture as his temporary owner took it.  
>"Just Mertle. Like I said; a one-eyed stupidhead,"<br>"Hm...Stitch knows stupidhead..." He showed her four fingers as she stood the board up atop the desk. "...Eyes,"  
>"Wow..." Lilo beamed with fascination as she removed the darts and Mertle's photo. She recalled thinking that there were some who could see the true flame behind the black eyes; was this four-eyed creature one of them? "I guess having exactly two eyes can make a big difference, huh?" She chuckled.<br>"Yeah..." He followed the girl to the room's center, taking the dart that she offered him.  
>"Alright, watch." She flung her own dart at the target, landing it just above the second smallest circle. "You've gotta try to get it-" Stitch had his dart on the bullseye at lightspeed, ending up in a dynamic pose like a Spartan who had just thrown a spear. "...In the center," The girl finished, her face blank with both surprise and amazement. "Nice shot," She smiled. The terrorist also smiled with satisfaction, masking the dread of not knowing how long he would have to endure this simple drudgery.<p>

**III**

Stitch was thankful for many things when it was time to go. He was thankful for a chance to stretch his legs, and he was thankful to observe the planet during its daytime. Above all, though, he was grateful for the end of Lilo's droll activities. His relief was impeded, however, when Nani gave Lilo a leash, which was placed around his neck like a chain upon a prisoner. It wasn't already uncomfortable enough, but the leash's crimson color reminded him distinctly of his nightmare mere hours ago. The young girl had insisted that she walk her new dog to hula practice, rejecting her sister's offer for a ride to the destination. The only regret she had was now witnessing his intensified eyes, burning even hotter than when she first saw them, as they walked; her on two limbs and him on four. His wandering gaze seemed ready to transform the leash into ashes at any moment.

"So, Nani wants us to walk over to her luau for dinner after practice..." She managed to state, overcoming her dread that the dog would pounce on and maul the next source of sound. She held his leash in one hand, while the other held her school bag, now containing her hula costume, which included a grass skirt of the darkest green. Little more than a low growl was given in response. Only mere steps later did Lilo deduce the cause of this ominous behavior. "You want your leash off?"

Stitch felt relief again. He stopped in his tracks, forcing Lilo to as well, and turned to face her, faking another smile. "Please?" Within seconds, his neck could taste the warm air again. He continued his walk whilst preserving the smile, observing the many colored buildings of brick or steel, all models compared to the whales of vessels the military commanded. Despite his less ominous expression, Lilo still felt dread at even an indirect look from those hellish eyes.

"You can walk on just your feet if you want," She said, wrapping up the leash into a circular mound.  
>"Hm?"<br>"You walked on your legs in the shelter and at home. Why are you on all fours now?"  
>"Um, better exercise," He quickly fibbed. He was baffled that walking like a dog was the one thing amiss to this odd girl.<br>"Oh, okay," Lilo smiled and it was returned. "Nani will want you to wash your hands when we get to the luau, though,"  
>"Okay,"<br>"And to wipe your hands _and_ feet when we get home,"  
>"'Kay."<br>"Great." Stitch was surprised to find her stopping to bend down and hug him.  
>"Lilo...Keeps hugging Stitch," He began, half confused and half irritated.<br>"Yeah,"  
>"Why?"<br>"Because you're fluffy," She chirped, pulling away to ruffle the fur on his belly. After witnessing the ginger girl's treatment of the white, hairy dog, he had anticipated this amount of random affection. The fascinating and troublesome part to him was how he pondered it, having been feared or antagonized by so many feeble civilians before Lilo; the kindness and hugs began to feel almost satisfying, like a surprise birthday present he had never realized he wished for. He quickly forced the contentedness from his massaged gut, though, substituting it with thoughts of his angelic 624. To his annoyance, as if it had not been tested enough today, his lust was interrupted by gush of wind rushing behind him, followed quickly by the unpleasant sound of tires skidding against concrete. As Lilo stood up, she found her least favorite bandaged person in front of her, sitting upon a bicycle of the most pretentious shade of purple. Hanging from her back by two thin ropes was a similarly purple sack, out of which the end of a skirt nearly identical to the one in Lilo's bag protruded.

"Hey, Mertle," She attempted to be friendly, though the disturbed and disapproving glare from her one functional eye seemed ignorant to her efforts. It filled Lilo with an unpleasant anxiety, although Mertle's glance was upon Stitch.  
>"Lilo?" The girl in glasses began, speaking like a bomb about to detonate.<br>"Yeah?"  
>"What the <em>hell<em> is that?!" Her glare was being answered by a raised eyebrow.  
>"This is my dog, Stitch,"<br>"...That is _not_ a dog!" The answer changed to a grimace not unlike the ones Stitch and Scrump had traded earlier.  
>"Yeah, he is. I got him from the animal shelter,"<br>"Well, it doesn't look like any 'animal' I've ever seen." Mertle turned her head away from the blue creature but kept her eyes on him, as if he were a piece of ancient, spoiled food laying on the pale yellow sidewalk.  
>"I know. Isn't he cool?" She scratched behind Stitch's long right ear, earning a small smile, a quiet purr, and some more rapid tapping from his left foot. The revolutionary was thankful for it, as it provided a momentary distraction from the obnoxious cyclops.<br>"Are you sure he's not a demon?"  
>"Yes!" Lilo lied, remembering Stitch's gaze.<br>"Hm...You better not be bringing him to hula class!"  
>"How come!?" Something in Lilo's forehead felt like breaking free of the layers of skin imprisoning it.<br>"Because he might infect someone, and Moses would have to call the police and arrest you both!"

If Stitch had to create a scale with the most pleasing sounds at the top and the most agonizing ones at the bottom, he would place 624's song above the clouds, and Mertle's voice past this planet's core. He recalled Number 258, who was born with no voice, and became appalled at the forces above that the same fate was not given to this creature, whose mouth was overflowing like vomit while her threats were like ghost towns. The remainder of Lilo and Mertle's argument became gibberish in his ears, as he finally accepted Lilo's earlier offer and rose to his two legs, returning to Mertle the same glare he gave Scrump, 627, and countless others beforehand. He intended only to intimidate this blight on the planet, but it only took one step to pale and silence her with a short gasp. His glare stretching into a devious smirk, Stitch took another step, upgrading this one to a firm stomp. Mertle hopped backwards on the foot keeping her bicycle upright, nearly having the device topple onto her in the process. The extraterrestrial briefly glanced back at Lilo, who seemed concerned but showed no immediate desire to interfere, and gave her a gleefully unimpressed smile. He then turned back to Mertle at a terrifying speed, growling like an infuriated lion, revealing his nightmarish forest of teeth and his small spearheads of claws. With little more than a blood-curdling yelp, the paling girl turned her bike around and fled into the distance. A few unfortunate passers-by a ways off had to dodge the bike as if it were a motorcycle. Stitch, a satisfied smile upon his muzzle, returned his attention to Lilo, who was initially pale, but quickly brightened up with a smile.

"Good boy, Stitch," She scratched behind his left ear. He purred as his claws retracted and his foot beat the pavement.  
>"One-eyed stupidhead?" He inquired as she finished.<br>"Yep, that's her," The girl answered in a chirp as she looked off at where an orange spot vanished into a distant building.  
>"Why...Only one?" The Experiment has a more curious tone.<br>"Oh, uh, I punched her there," Lilo answered, her beam fading. "Hard,"  
>"Good,"<br>"Good?!" She was surprised not only by his indifference, but that there was somebody who supported her choice of violent action.  
>"Mertle...Stupid. Need...Lesson," He spoke with the proud firmness of an army commander.<br>"Well...I guess..." She couldn't help but see some logic in Stitch's words, but tried eagerly to blind herself from it. "But that didn't really show her that I was smarter than her, did it?"  
>"No; shows her...You...Stronger. More...Powerful,"<br>"...Is that what you do when stupidheads are mean to you?" She was answered with a firm nod. The flames in his eyes roasted her like a deadly sun. "...Does it make you feel any better?"  
>"Yes,"<br>"...Are you sure?"  
>"Yes!" The frustrated exclamation silenced its announcer as effectively as it did its audience. It was only when Stitch's eyes relaxed and his shredder-like teeth retreated behind his lip that Lilo found the courage to speak again.<br>"We should get going, or we might be late." She slowly resumed walking and her dog quickly followed, returning to all fours.  
>"Lilo did good," Stitch said, softly but firmly, after one block. He was irritated not only that she hung her head over her one quality that he admired, but at a sickening feeling like one of her darts had struck a target within his chest. "See when Stitch...Scare Mertle...She know now...What happen when...Talk...That way...To me,"<br>"I guess..."  
>"And you say...Stitch was...Good boy,"<br>"Yeah, I did." Lilo never thought she could say so many things that she didn't want to. "But she keeps bothering me even though I hit her,"  
>"Then...Again." He surprised her with the suggestion.<br>"I don't know...I think Nani once said...I don't remember, but it was about doing the same thing again and again and again, and waiting for something different to happen,"  
>"Everyone...Learn...Sooner...Later," Stitch growled. He looked up at her, and she looked back, his glare meeting her anxious gaze. His fiery eyes had mystified her all day, but in that moment, she learned exactly what why they burned so furiously. "Like you with fractions."<p>

Lilo searched frantically through her brain for a response, but forfeit her search when she found they had arrived at their destination, with the most immediate giveaway being Mertle's pretentious bicycle collapsed on the sidewalk like an abandoned getaway vehicle. It was a short building, barely below the average height of the many others surrounding it. It was made of bright yellow bricks and had a dark red door, reminding Stitch faintly of a color he and his allies so often encountered in their quest. A fire hydrant of a much brighter shade sat just a few steps hula class building's primary distinguishing features were the two large, square windows, upon which were many drawings and posters of women and men in grass skirts, many of the former dancing gracefully, and many of the latter juggling sticks inflamed at either end. The words 'remember, remember' came to the revolutionary's mind, though he only became further irritated that the fire was held by a nameless subordinate.

"Alright, here it is." Lilo sighed with relief as she unraveled the leash again. "Look, I know you don't like wearing it, but you're really supposed to while I'm in there." She was thankful that Stitch looked more unimpressed by the situation than annoyed. "Tell you what, if you think nobody's looking, you can take it off for a bit..." She continued as the blue creature allowed the obnoxious band to return to his fuzzy neck. "But put it back on if somebody might see. Just push on these two buttons here, see?" She briefly demonstrated the mechanism before leaving it closed and tying it to the nearby fire hydrant. "Okay?" She was answered with a firm nod, beginning to anticipate his recurring scowls and grimaces. "I'll only be an hour. Be good, alright?"

"Alright." And then, for the first time since they met, Stitch was separate from the bizarre girl. He noticed a few passers-by across the street, though nobody seemed at all interested in the strange, blue dog leashed to a fire hydrant. If they only knew. Seeing his chance, Stitch quickly undid the leash just as he had been shown, though not simply to comfort his neck. He darted up the wall of the short building like a snake ascending a tree, discovering a superior view of the town from the roof. The boost in height was small, but the lack of anything near or far that was much taller meant he could clearly see a wide radius. He tried to focus on observing his temporary home, particularly on the seemingly infinite ocean in the distance and the tall, white lighthouse near it like a sword stuck in the ground, which might make for a place to send a signal if he could, but found his mind idling on something else.

'Does it make you feel any better?' The question looped in his head like a broken record. He had answered Lilo so strictly purely to silence her, but the riddle still poked at his brain like a woodpecker against bark. After the agitation rained upon him and his cause by Jumba, Hamsterviel, 627, Gantu, the Grand Councilwoman, and countless of the galaxy's feeblest creatures, why shouldn't their punishment satisfy him?

'Punishments are for making the punished's victims happier, aren't they?'He thought to himself. 'Like how 621 and everybody punished 21-ack, Pig, and compared to her, Mertle's just a little shit. Really, she's a little shit on her own, but still.' He shook his head to return his attention to the vast view. 'Don't be stupid, 626. Pig deserved it, and so did Mertle. You've got more important things to worry about.' With his mind now clearer, he continued to survey his peaceful surroundings.

**IV**

"Hey, Stitch." It felt like an eternity when the Experiment finally heard the odd girl's voice again. Within the time she had been in her class, he had toured over several of the rooftops surrounding the one he had begun with, observing the mundane tasks of the planet's inhabitants. He found some walking with joined hands, some with smaller ones perched upon their shoulders, and others simply beaming, laughing, or otherwise in either small or large groups, or to somebody on small audio communicators they held to one ear. All the while, he couldn't imagine the feeling of storming through life so purposelessly. He had an increasing confidence that this was the planet Earth; far too primitive to even discover the Galactic Federation. He was optimistic that this prehistoric planet might provide some added inconspicuousness from both the Federation and Hamsterviel, but his heart sank when he realized such inconspicuousness also applied to his own allies, on top of being surrounded by zombies. Even with the several minutes he'd spent exploring, he was still made to wait once he'd returned to the leash, replacing it around his neck with a sensation of exhaustion and dread. He did arrive in time, however, for a short, dark rainbow of cars to appear parallel to the sidewalk, whose drivers all seemed reluctant to exit at the sight of the cross-looking dog. Lilo reappeared in a crowd of other girls her age which included Mertle, who took off hurriedly across the street on her bicycle. She was followed almost immediately by any others who did not rush into a departing car. "You okay? Sorry you had to wear this thing again." She removed the leash without hesitation, much to Stitch's relief.

"Thanks, Lilo," He said, smiling, although he was confused that she was smiling with him, as if she had forgotten about their debate only an hour earlier.  
>"You alright, Stitch?" She had noticed his smile fade. The Experiment had already taught himself not to repeat the misstep of indulging her hollow concerns.<br>"Yes,"  
>"Is it about what we were talking about earlier?" What was this girl? Stitch began to feel as though his thoughts were like a book to her, free for her to flip through its many pages and read any passage. At any moment, he briefly pondered, she'll simply recite the chapter detailing his comrades, his deception, and all to whom he had or will deliver much more vicious treatment.<br>"...Yes." No point in lying; she'd only pry further until he confessed.  
>"I guess you were kinda right; I did feel a little better after hitting Mertle,"<br>"See?" He smiled.  
>"For a little bit..."<br>"Hm?"  
>"...Never mind...To the luau, then?" She returned his smile in the hopes of turning their thoughts to something lighter.<br>"Okay." Stitch followed Lilo back down the sidewalk, not speaking again until his stomach felt strangely tight, not unlike how it did in the pod en route to his first mission. "Hula was good?"  
>"Oh, yeah, it was great!" He was surprised at how quickly she had returned to her cheerful demeanor. "Well, except for Mertle and her friends, I mean clones, no, yeah, friends, I think...That reminds me; I still have to show you some awesome Elvis songs!"<br>"...Okay." He tried to imitate her merry behavior. He was relieved that he was earning her approval, but the compressing in his stomach still poked at his brain like a parasite.

**V**

The luau was illuminated by orange torches like how the evening sky was illuminated by the scarlet sunset. It was a warm reminder for Lilo of the rainy and furnace-lit evenings on which her father recited his horrific tales, while Stitch only saw a pale imitation of the Rebellion's blazing flag. His irritation only increased when a flamboyant and muscular man in a grass skirt emerged from a stage at the furthest end of the establishment, waving around two flaming sticks as if they themselves were the same flag. Lilo, however, was thrilled by the performance, just as she had been the many previous times she viewed it. She wound up paying the fiery spectacle more attention than her dinner of Brussels sprouts and a sweet potato. Her new friend, initially assigned to the warm, sandy floor, now sat beside her, observing the show with disapproval as he ate his potato like an apple.

"Oh, wow, did you see that, Stitch?!" Lilo cheered after the man tossed one torch into the air and caught it behind his back.  
>"Mm. Very good," He pretended to be entertained; he smiled and spoke more merrily than he cared to.<br>"You alright?" The child inquired, now slightly concerned.  
>"Yes." He answered firmly.<br>"You sure? You sound kinda ticked off,"  
>"Stitch is okay, Lilo." He spoke more firmly, but tried to seem more personable than he had been for most of the day. He swallowed what remained of his sweet potato before speaking again"Stitch could...Do that," He added, looking back at the familiar display with an outward smirk and an inward scowl.<br>"Oh, really?"  
>"Yes. Really,"<br>"I'd like to see that. Then we could just watch your fire dancing at home instead of coming all the way here and watching David," She gleefully suggested. Stitch was surprised that anyone outside of the Rebellion would delight in his waving fire through the air. He wondered if Lilo would support the Rebellion if he revealed it to her.  
>"Okay." He picked up all the sprouts on his plate and engulfed them like they were crumbs.<br>"Holy crap, where did it all go?!" Lilo joked. They both laughed.  
>"To better place, Lilo." He added. "To better place." His laughter had decreased to a chuckle, while Lilo's was hysterics had ceased, Nani passed their table, dressed in just a light blue top covering only her chest, and a thin dress of the same color that seemed more like towel. Stitch had noticed two or three other women in similar uniform, and couldn't help but doubt if Nani enjoyed wearing it. She gave them only a quick glance; it was obvious from both her hasty speed and the empty trays in her hands that she still had at least one pending task. He was surprised she didn't tell him to descend from his seat to the floor.<p>

"All done, Nani!" Her sister called as she passed.  
>"Already?!" She turned to quickly retrieve their plates, both littered with crumbs like fallen soldiers. Lilo's, however, still had one wounded warrior standing. "You didn't finish your sweet potato!"<br>"Uh...Oops,"  
>"I thought you liked them,"<br>"I do..." She glanced over at Stitch, who was distracted again by her old friend David's fiery spectacle. His inward scowl had become visible in his irritated trance. "Can we have dessert now?" She chirped. "I think Stitch could use some cheering up,"  
>"You know, he shouldn't be sitting at the table, Lilo," The elder said sternly, as if Lilo's request had been inaudible.<br>"He didn't sit there when we started. He asked me if he could sit up here with me," The younger explained. "It's my fault for saying yes, so you can yell at me instead,"  
>"No, it's alright. Remember our deal?" They both smiled. Lilo did recall the agreement, which would be maintained so long as she never harmed Mertle. With the recollection of this condition, however, came the memory of Stitch's philosophy. She glanced at him again, still glaring at David's performance. The flames reflected in his black eyes clashed with the fire already there, standing out only from its paler shade. Lilo wondered if he was ready to enact his harsh reasoning upon the entertainer. As much as the girl wanted to, she couldn't say that his answer was wrong, although she was beginning to be believe that there was more than one answer. "Doesn't look like Stitch likes David's fire dancing, huh?" Nani observed. "Can't imagine why..." She looked towards the performance as well, nearly drifting into a trance heavier than the Experiment's. She momentarily felt sharp shards of regret jabbing at her innards.<br>"He said he did. He was probably lying," Lilo replied, pulling her sibling from her sorrowful reminiscence.  
>"How's he turning out, anyway?" She quickly fabricated the illusion that she had never drifted at all.<br>"He's great! I don't think he and Scrump get along very well, but he showed me some helpful stuff with math. Plus, he's amazing at darts,"  
>"Awesome." The elder doubted the credibility of these statements, but was thankful that her sister's potent imagination was being used more positively. She had made the correct action in allowing Lilo to keep the unsettling canine.<br>"I think he's a bit...I don't know...He seems sad, but angry at everybody else because of it...Or maybe he feels mad so he won't have to feel sad...I'm not sure..."  
>"Well...Maybe you could show him how to feel happy?"<br>"...Elvis helps,"  
>"There you go." Nani ruffled her sister's sleek black hair. "Right, just a wild guess, but you probably want dessert,"<br>"You guessed right!"  
>"Alright. I've probably spent too much time talking with you anyway," She joked quickly before dashing off with the used plates.<p>

Lilo hailed her sibling's suggestion; she began by scooting her chair closer towards the irritable Stitch. "Dessert's coming, Stitch." She leaned her elbows onto the table and her cheeks onto her hands, created a smile with cheeks spherical like large bubbles.  
>"Dessert?" He was finally torn from his glowering. His long ears jolted up in curiosity.<br>"I think you'll like it. I don't think anybody doesn't,"  
>"Stitch...Could be one," He stated, intending it to be nothing more than an honest possibility.<br>"No, you won't,"  
>"Maybe,"<br>"Yeah you will...Hey, Stitch?"  
>"Yes, Lilo?"<br>"Are you ticklish?" She scooted closer.  
>"...No,"<br>"Are you sure?"  
>"Yes,"<br>"How sure?"  
>"One hundred sure," He snapped, not optimistic about the direction of the conversation.<br>"I can check for you if you like," She coated a warning in an offer.  
>"Stitch is fine, tha-" He was caught off guard by her wiggling fingers reaching again for his belly. He had become adjusted to her spontaneous stomach rubs, although he'd been taught by 624, 621, and 221 to counteract any unwelcome grasp. The giggling he now struggled to repress as Lilo's fingers erratically stroked his gut, however, was never covered in his training. "St-p, L-l-oh!" He spat out through a wall of clenched teeth.<br>"Start?"  
>"No!"<br>"Okay!" Lilo persisted, tickling more fiercely. It wasn't long before the terrorist's toothy barricade toppled, rewarding Lilo's ears with a surprisingly delightful laugh. His rough yet squeaky cackling was like that of the most childish old man in the world. Though it was painful to cease the strangely adorable laughter, she finally allowed her new friend some breath. "Feel better?" She cheerfully inquired.  
>"...Little bit." Stitch was staggered to find that, despite wishing for his fit of laughter to cease when it was current, it had left a small swarm of butterflies in its place. It was a warm, soothing swarm, more so than the belly rubs Lilo surprised him with, and not unlike that he experienced since 624 kissed him for the first time.<br>"It feels good to laugh, doesn't it?"  
>"...Yes...Laughing...Feels good." He returned her smile, making it grow wider.<p>

"Hey!" A stern voice suddenly snapped from behind Stitch. Both human and alien turned their heads to find a respectable wall of a man, whose red t-shirt tucked into his beige pants somehow emitting an aura of authority, approaching their table. "You're not allowed...Pets to sit in the chairs, young lady," He had to pause when he got a proper look at the blue Experiment.  
>"Sorry, sir," Lilo said calmly. She found Stitch giving the manager the same unnerving glare that he sported when the leash was clamped around his neck. "He's being good. He washed his hands in the bathroom. He ate all his sprouts,"<br>"I'm sorry, but it's just not allowed," The manager tried to be softer. "Could you ask him to come down, please?"  
>"Um...Stitch, the manager says you can't sit in that chair,"<br>"Hm?" He raised a furry eyebrow, the rest of his face forming a hot and jagged expression. "He, uh, wants to know why," The girl conveyed to the bulky man.  
>"...For sanitary reasons," He said warily to the blue creature, who scoffed in response. Frustrated, the manager picked Stitch up from his seat by his underarms. "Stop!" He ordered when the alien struggled against him, as if he were commanding a dog. "You can sit down here on-" He continued strictly as he began to lower the Experiment, but never concluding due to a sensation like a brick striking his nose and left cheek. The tables surrounding them suddenly silenced, as if they had all suddenly dropped dead. The wall of a manager was bent over, his nose slowly painting the ground red from a distance. Stitch was upright, the back of his raised left hand still tingling from the violent impact. Lilo darted up to him, her hands coming down firmly onto his shoulders. He glanced at her pale face from the corner of his glaring eyes, his towering ears detecting her quickening pulse at the same time. He took note of how slight the change in speed was. A few customers arose from their seats to see to the bleeding employee, but they were slower to his side than another redheaded waitress.<p>

"Oh my God, Mr. Kekoa, are you alright?!" She kneeled down to see his face.  
>"...I've been better." He held his nose to the dimming sky and the blood began to reverse towards its proper place. "...But I've also been worse. Don't worry; just carry on,"<br>"Do you need to go to the hospital, alaka'i?!"  
>"No, no, just get me some paper towels-"<p>

"Right here, alaka'i!" As if summoned like a genie from a lamp, Kekoa turned his eyes to the left to find Nani grasping the desired object. As he took the crumpled cloth, he noticed she looked even more anxious than he usually saw her, like she had been running for her life from God-knows-what.  
>"Nani..." He began once his nostril had been sufficiently plugged.<br>"Y-Yes, Mr. Kekoa?"  
>"Is that your dog?" He gave a strict nod in Stitch's direction. Nani looked down at him, wrapped in Lilo's arms. They both looked back at her; one set of eyes encased in ice and the other engulfed in flames.<br>"Um...Well, yeah..." She stammered, trying to speak at the pace that her thoughts tore through her mind like arrows. "I mean, I got her for my sister today, so, uh, yeah, I guess...Yes,"  
>"I see..." Kekoa said softly before turning to the other employee. "You go back to work now, Kai,"<p>

"Yes, alaka'i." She quickly turned her attention to returning the onlookers to their seats, while the manager then brought Nani somewhere out of view to them all, including Lilo and Stitch.

"See, Lilo?" The navy blue alien said softly to her when he knew nobody was listening, gently taking her arms off of him. "Stitch and manager angry, Stitch show who is right. People only listen when they...Know they...Wrong...Weak..."  
>"Well...He was being kinda mean, picking you up like that..." The girl pondered, her face gradually returning to its typical tan color.<br>"See?"  
>"...But what about everyone else? You scared them, too," She inquired discontentedly.<br>"They learn, too. Learn easier...Than big man." He found her looking to the sand, as if the ground had requested a frown from her. "Remember, Lilo..." He carefully pulled her chin up so she faced him again. "People always...Try and stop you...You...Must...Fight...Back..."  
>"...You said that will make me feel better. Did punching Nani's boss make you feel better?"<br>"Uh-huh." He could feel the flame's warm kiss upon his interior. Despite the smile accompanying his response, Lilo's perturbed gaze persisted. "Lilo...Doesn't believe Stitch?"  
>"No, I...<em>I do<em>," She finished glumly. The Experiment's eyes narrowed, but not out of anger.

"Come on, guys," Nani walked up behind them, gently nudging them away from the table. Stitch and Lilo both glanced back over their shoulders, finding Mr. Kekoa, looking somewhat less intimidating with only one free nostril, giving a firm but regretful look in Nani's direction, as if he had just given away an item of many fond and distant memories. His expression hardened, however, when his eyes met Stitch's again. The revolutionary did not hide his feelings for him, either, before turning his back on him, not knowing that this would be the final time he would do so. Before long, Lilo and Stitch were seated in the gloomy back portion of Nani's sky blue car, and its owner was creating distance between herself and her former workplace.

"...Lilo," Nani began as the car started up.  
>"Did you get fired?" Her sister was two steps ahead of her. Nani briefly wished that she could spout out responses like this in school.<br>"...Yes, I did," She answered firmly as the car's speed slowly increased. "Well, sort of...More like I saw it coming and wanted to skip Mr. Kekoa's monologue,"  
>"I wish I could do that with you." Despite the apprehensive knot in Nani's stomach, Lilo still earned a small chuckle from her. "Or the teachers at school. Or Mertle and her friends-clones-um-" The unemployed sibling chuckled for another second before her tone suddenly stiffened.<br>"Lilo," She began. She took a deep breath and decided to be blunt. "We need to take Stitch back to the animal shelter,"  
>"What?!"<p>

'Shit!' Stitch cursed in his head. He then tasted an unpleasant mixture of surprise and disgust; why did he feel at all tense at such impulsive and empty threats? 'Worst cast scenario, I just have to find a new idiot.'

"He broke Mr. Kekoa's nose, Lilo!" The driver persisted. "He's violent! We can't keep him; he could hurt someone else!"  
>"He won't!" Lilo objected strongly. "I'll make sure he doesn't!"<br>"Lilo, it's not safe! What if he hurt you?! I don't have a job now because of him!"  
>"He just made a mistake! Everybody does; I've made lots of mistakes, and you didn't throw me out for punching Mertle! Maybe I could help him to make less,"<br>"We don't have time for that. He'll make Mr. Bubbles angry!"  
>"Nani, Stitch is my best friend! If he goes, then I go, too!" She exclaimed loud enough to even chill Stitch's blood. A few seconds of silence came in between Lilo's outburst and her softer tone afterwards. "Dad said that ohana means nobody gets left behind,"<br>"...He's only been her a little while," Nani argued, her volume decreasing as well, but still slightly above her sister's.  
>"I don't care. Even if he's not part of your ohana yet, he's part of mine." More silence, during which Stitch couldn't help but feel pessimistic that Lilo's mere backtalk would achieve anything. Had she learned nothing from him all day?<br>"...Alright," Nani began. Two hearts skipped a beat; Lilo's did with a twirl while Stitch's tripped. "I'll give him one more chance. But if something like this happens again, he's going,"  
>"Thank you, Nani!" The young girl couldn't help but part from her seat to hug her sister from behind the car seat.<br>"Just make sure he behaves," The elder said softly, trying not to jolt and lose control of the car from the spontaneous embrace.  
>"Yes! Don't worry, he'll be the best dog ever! I promise!" Lilo returned to her seat and pulled an astonished Stitch into a tight hug. "See?" She whispered to him. "She listened. I didn't have to show her that she was wrong,"<p>

"...What youga show her?" The Experiment quietly inquired, too lost in thought to reciprocate.  
>"What was <em>right<em>." Stitch pondered some more before responding. He couldn't help but see some logic in Lilo's words, but tried eagerly to blind himself from it.  
>"Naga show...Youga <em>stronger<em>,"  
>"...Maybe I am...And maybe nobody else has to know." She pulled away to look at him. He had shown her frowns and grimaces all day, and still she had nothing to return but her widest smile.<br>"...Lilo used word...What mean...Ohah...Ohana?"  
>"Ohana means family," She answered cheerfully before pulling him into another hug. Stitch hesitated, but this time he reciprocated, still pondering the act he had just witnessed. His plan was working perfectly; his disguise seemed impenetrable, and the girl in his arms just may have sealed it permanently. He only had to either bide his time until his allies located him, or sneak away temporarily to properly inspect the wrecked pod. The most trying step was completed, and still his head was hurting. Along one half of his brain sat a lonely but cheerful young girl in a bright room of cages, while the opposing side held a lifeless and disturbing creation with a permanent grimace upon its mouth of stitches. Their presence was not what perturbed Stitch, but rather the fact that in their place was once a black-and-white flag, coated in hellish red flames.<p>

**VI**

"There we go," 10 muttered as he tied off the snow white bandage around the glob-like waist. "Now, that should start to heal so long as you stay rested and I see to it every little while." He looked up from his kneeling position at 300, smiling at first, though it faded in front of his rugged expression.

"Thank you, 10," The shapeshifter responded as he descended from the bed he sat on. "Your presence here and not with our blind former comrades is comforting knowledge,"  
>"Oh, um, you're welcome, 300," The medic replied softly. "But you should really rest,"<br>"I'll find a place outside to rest. I can't bear to be here when progress is being made outside,"  
>"Um...I-I'm sure everyone will do just fine without y-..." 10 stopped when he believed he had stuffed his foot into his mouth.<br>"I do not doubt that, 10." To the trunked Experiment's relief, 300 did not appear to register his words as offensive. "But I would still rather be kept informed,"  
>"W-We could always come in here and give you updates when we find something,"<br>"As opposed to immediately pursuing new findings further? Such a distraction would only hinder our progress..." He said sharply before softening his tone again. "Now, shall we see how 149 and 150 are faring with the remaining government vessel?"  
>"Sure." 10 was quick to open the door, which was quite near, for his patient. They stepped into what was once a bustling room of their hundreds upon hundreds of brethren, but was now a prodigious memento of their battle with 627. There was an Experiment-sized hole in the ceiling, dents in the walls, broken chairs and benches, and in the center of it all, a black Federation pod. Both side doors were open, revealing 150, his prosthetic left hand upon a pitch black screen. Were he not so physically vast, 149's feet protruding from beneath the dashboard could be seen from his side. Had she also been sitting properly, a bandage around her nose would be visible as well.<p>

"Anythin' yet, bud?" The shorter of the two asked, keeping a red wire and a blue one together with her hands. Her voice rang with a slight snort. From her inverted seat, she could see a system of the pod's wiring under the dashboard's removed underside like rainbow-colored spaghetti.  
>"Yup!" The black screen had flickered on with a screen split vertically into two colors; white on top and black underneath. In the middle appeared the spider-like symbol of the Galactic Federation.<br>"Kickass! I'll come up there..." 149 began, reaching to grab the side of the nearest doorway.  
>"Here..." Acting faster than his brain, 150 reached down, gently scooping his one real hand under head, while his metallic one carefully took both feet, pulling her out delicately and placing her upright on the driver's seat. "Wha-?!" It was only now that the huge Experiment's face combined pale with scarlet. "Oh..." 149 was confused at first, but the smiled and gave her ally two firm pats on his porky arm. "Thanks, 150,"<br>"You're, uh, you're welcome." There was no affection whatsoever in the small contact, and yet 150's heart couldn't help but sprint like an athlete. "You know, 14-"  
>"Right, so, seems we've just gotta crack the password," She was more focused on the message that appeared on the screen. The interruption only made his face more scarlet, his heart sprint faster, and his forehead moisten.<p>

"How is progress here, you two?" 300 inquired, approaching the pod from 150's side, with 10 just behind him.  
>"'Bout what I'd hope you'd expect from us, 300," 149 began. "All we've gotta do is put in the password and-" She typed 'GANTU' on the keypad that appeared on the screen, only to receive red text reading 'INCORRECT PASSWORD. TWO ATTEMPTS REMAINING.' "Aw, crap..."<br>"Try 'JHamsterviel' or 'JacquesH,'" 150 suggested.  
>"You sure?" She sounded skeptical.<br>"I feel pretty confident,"  
>"Alright, but if it ain't, you'll be the one hackin' it open again,"<br>"Fair enough." He smiled innocently down at her, while she gave him a sarcastic stink eye.  
>"Alright, smartass..." She typed in 'JHAMSTERVIEL', and surely enough, the current screen vanished and transformed into a list-like menu. "Well, well, well; guess we're all good." 149 smiled at 300 and 10 before patting her plump comrade on the back again. Although she turned her attention to the menu screen shortly afterwards, 150 couldn't help but turn a bittersweet crimson at her contact.<p>

"...150?" 300 sternly began. The metal-handed Experiment felt a thud in his stomach like a dropping anvil at the blob's tone. "Might I have a word?"

"Oh, um, sure, 300." He stepped out of the vehicle to follow the bandaged Experiment towards a lonelier corner.

"How's your nose, 149?" He heard 10 kindly inquire as they left.

"Still shorter than yours, 10." She merrily ruffled his hair of fins, making him smile shyly. "But thanks for askin',"

"So, uh..." 150 reluctantly began once 300 had led him to the nearest corner. "What can I do you you, 300?"  
>"Not for me, 150, but for the Rebellion," The shapeshifter started bluntly, making his ally even more anxious. "Would you mind putting your lust to one side?"<br>150 was taken aback. "W-What do you mean?"  
>"I understand that 149 excites you, but in our current situation, with a valuable comrade stranded and possibly endangered, we cannot afford distractions,"<br>The larger revolutionary was speechless at first, but soon his eyes narrowed defiantly. "So I should just stop loving 149; is that what you're saying? Just turn it off like a switch?"  
>"Not necessarily," 300's tone did not shift. "Just organize priorities. Your loneliness won't find 626 or overthrow the Grand Councilwoman sooner,"<br>"Yeah, because I planned on killing the Councilwoman by liking 149," The strict and sarcastic response passed 150's lips without his brain's consent. The blob's eyes gave a brief and demonic spark at the outburst.  
>"Don't argue, 150. I'm only telling you this to achieve the best case scenario for all of us. It is not my opinion, but a fact that you would be more useful if you put more attention towards finding 626,"<br>"What about 624? She's been dead-set on finding 626 from the moment that pod flew off! _Her _emotions aren't distracting her or 'hindering progress' or any other fancy words you love using! The opposite, actually!"  
>"Very true, but because 626 is the one we are searching for, her lust is convenient,"<br>"Convenient?! Alright, so what I feel isn't convenient, then?!" 150 took a step closer to 300; his heart was pounding, but somehow his unleashing of words was soothing. Despite his step, the shapeshifter did not budge from his ground.  
>"<em>No, 300, it isn't. <em>Someday, when we have our rule, you may pursue your romantic endeavors, but not until we have what we want,"  
>"What we want..." The larger Experiment repeated in a low growl. "...Sure." The shapeshifter's eyes narrowed at his insolence.<br>"I've better things to do besides listening to this back attitude, 150." The blob walked past him, and the taller one turned to keep facing him. In doing so, however, he found that 221, 624, 345, and 621 had now entered the room, the first of which already having entered the Federation pod to cuddle a certain someone. Seeing somebody he loved so dearly in such a painful image boggled his emotions; one half of the flame in his heart was a soothing fireplace, while the other was a violent and raging forest fire.

"It's not worth it, 150." He was pulled from the fire by 300's cavernous voice; he found that the blob had not traversed far from where he stood before. "It excites you, it hurts you, it makes you feel so much of everything in just one instant, but all it really does is distract you from your true goal." An unfamiliar wave of melancholy flowed over 300's words. "And when her life eventually concludes, still in the arms of your..._Competition_, it will only be more agonizing..."

150 was silenced for a moment, his frustration with 300 decreasing slightly, although a small amount was quickly recovered. "149 isn't 501. She's not going to blow up if she touches another Experiment,"

"...True," Was the soft response. 300 faced nothing in particular as his heavy yellow eyes shut, where they remained for several seconds. 150 did nothing but observe the shapeshifter as he briefly swam through the black ocean within his mind. It was only a short time before his eyes opened again, once again frigid and burning all at once. "Have you gotten into the radar, 149?" He called back to the pod.

"Gettin' there," Her voice came out as a chuckle. In response, he slithered towards the pod like a snake made of liquid at an alarming speed, his head reaching into the pod and getting right in the faces of 149 and 221, the latter of which had his arms around the other. "If you two continue to distract each other, _I will forcibly separate you, and will see to it that you do not touch again until 626 is found!_"

"Alright, alright, we'll get on it," The electrician replied, irritated. He released an equally annoyed 149 so she could return her efforts to the screen on the pod's console. "A little cuddle isn't gonna permanently strand 626, ya know," He returned 300's glare.

"_Just find him!_" The shapeshifter slithered speedily once more, this time onto the large gap in the ceiling. "I'm going to keep watch for any more unwanted guests!" With that, he vanished onto the roof. Only 10 and 345 were shaken by his exclamations; 149 and 221 had ignored him, while 150, 621, and 624 were all stiff with glowers.

"Um, I'll go help him," The clown said soon after. "Sounds like he could use a hug." He waved delicately to his three friends; 10 and 624, giving only a small smile, reciprocated. He then reached a lengthy leg up through the hole and ascended through it after 300.

"Well, if that's all done..." 621 muttered sternly before patting 10 once on the back, earning a small jolt from him. "That was some good training, 10. I want you to do a session with me or 624 every so often so you can feel more confident and knowledgeable about how you're going to fight,"

"Oh, uh, OK, I can do that," The medic softly replied with a shy smile.

"I know you will...Hang on, I should make sure 221 and 149 actually did return to work." The marksman departed the conversation to lean into the pod. Afterwards, 10 noticed 624's firm expression.

"You alright, 624?" He gently inquired.  
>"Yeah, I'm fine," Was the solid reply. "I'm gonna take you back into the practice room for another match later, alright?"<br>"Alright...624?"  
>"What?"<br>"You're not really fine, are you?"  
>"...I guess not," She sighed, her expression softening as she looked to the floor. A silence that seemed eternal followed.<br>"You know we'll find him, 624," 10 thought to say after a while.  
>"Oh, we <em>will<em> 10!" The pink Experiment's head raised in a single swift movement, almost making 10's stomach leap. "In fact, he's as good as found, because there's nowhere in the universe that I'm not going to look for him!"  
>"Oh...Good...Great!" The medic was confused that his enthusiasm was not coming through as it should.<br>"And when he returns, it's going to be his dream come true..." 624 continued, her face somewhere between a sadistic smile and the fiery scowl typically found upon 621. "When 627 sent him away in that pod, he might as well have been shooting himself. He's _dead_, 10, and so are our bastard 'parents', Jumba and Hamsterviel! I'm going to make them suffer even more than they've made me. The three of them are over at who-knows-where, thinking they're so clever and that they can't be touched...If they only knew...Because when we bring 626 back, we'll kill them all _together;__ he and I! Not _for the rebellion; for _us!" _For the first time, 624 had made the timid medic white as a sheet. She hung her head, reddened with fury, once again, although for mere seconds. When she arose again, the crimson was gone, leaving only her usual cheerful grin.

"That's a promise!"


	9. Rebirth

Chapter 7:  
>Rebirth<p>

**I**

626 could feel the blood escaping his nostrils. The quantity of blood in his body and his scorn for his opponent were becoming an inverse ratio. Wiping the warm liquid from his face, he quickly returned to his feet, which the water he stood in only barely submerged.

"Goddamn, are you _still_ alive?!" He heard what sounded like Lilo's voice, but deeper and distorted, as if spoken through a microphone with a voice scrambling feature. "Am I gonna be here all fricking day?!"

"Deal with it," 626 said defiantly, giving Scrump his coldest glare. The doll stood opposite him on the infinite beach by the endless sea that he stood in, just as tall as her fierce opponent. Her lips moved behind the array of tight stitches attached to them, making her mouth seem full of some grotesque and sticky substance when she spoke. "I've survived a crash at a speed that would've killed any other dumb creature in the universe! I can touch substances that even other Experiments can't! You think a doll of some corpse can top any of that?!" He grinned menacingly, revealing two unsightly gaps in his otherwise admirable teeth; their filler lay scattered somewhere in the water.

Scrump growled before charging at him again. 626 reached a hand out to grasp his enemy's forehead, toppling regardless into a deeper part of the water behind him, but maintaining his grip on the doll's cloth-like face. While the fingerless hands reached furiously for the terrorist, a blue foot was raised swiftly from the knee-deep water, and then thrust even quicker into Scrump's chest. As the doll fell and 626 arose, he found his fist still clamped around the piece of Scrump's face, along with a sinister black button dangling from it. He cast it indifferently on the miniature waves as he approached his recovering opponent. He grasped her firmly by her yellow stalk of hair, noticing an egg fall from her unsightly new wound and make a loud 'plop' in the water, and threw her over his shoulder. Two more eggs fell out, both creating 'plops' that were silent compared to the splash that Scrump made. Without delay, he had his left foot on top of the doll's head underwater. He resisted the urge to simply crush the remaining eggs like ants; applying just enough pressure so her arms flayed angrily and desperately against his leg as she drowned was infinitely more satisfying. He smirked evilly at Scrump, despite her vision being obscured towards it, but his smile was broken when he felt an arm of fabric curl relentlessly around his right ankle. After being sent onto his back, the revolutionary was underwater for only seconds before he was pulled out by a tuft of fur on his chest. He felt three cruel blows meet his right eye before catching Scrump's fist on the fourth.

"Why even bother?!" The doll questioned in immense frustration.. "You're just gonna leave soon no matter what!"

"Touche, abomination," 626 spat lowly. "Thing is, though; at least one of us has to go, and I know I'm not going just yet. So, by process of deduction..." Two new hands snapped out and seized Scrump around the waist. He threw her into the air like the empty sack that she was, smacking away two falling eggs shortly afterwards. As the doll reached the limit of her violent ascension, a miniature drop of water fell from the cloudless sky above and hit her surviving eye. Several more began to fall as the sky gradually faded to a melancholy gray and any shadows vanished. Her one black button burned as her remaining eggs throbbed with fury, and it increased tenfold when she found a familiar blue creature above her in the air, both primary fists behind his head. 626 brought his arms down onto his enemy like a powerful mallet, sending her hurtling back to the water like a falling meteor. To the terrorist's irritation, Scrump was able to roll out of the way of his landing stomp, but he was able to improvise a strong turning headbutt against the rising eggsack. He heard a satisfying shatter as the doll grasped her head in pain. Seeing an invaluable opportunity, 626 reached for Scrump's abused head with every intention of crushing it in his fists like paper. To his shock, however, two fierce arms of red fur burst from Scrump's waist like they were reaching from a grave, and grasped 626's arms.

"_ENOUGH!" _Scrump roared as her crumpled and incomplete face jerked back up as she raised her opponent into the air with her new limbs. Another pair of monstrous arms burst from beneath the first and grasped 626's dangling legs, pulling them both too far into the wrong direction. "_ENOUGH OF YOUR BULLSHIT!"_ The doll roared over the revolutionary's blood-curdling yelp. The light rain slowly became an onslaught of precipitation, immediately soaking the two combatants as the sky turned pitch black. The newest hands moved to grasp 626's secondary forearms while the original fabric ones wrapped tightly around the sopping neck. Before he could even think, 626 found himself horizontal on the ocean floor, with nothing to look at but the single furious button and even less to breathe in. His arms wrestled in vain with the crimson ones restraining them, and his legs only lay uselessly beneath Scrump. For a second, 626 glanced behind his oppressor at the ripples created when the bullets of rain struck the water. He continued to stare at them, knowing Scrump resented his refusal of eye contact by the tightening of her hands around his neck. As his eyelids grew heavier and his lungs felt hollower, the terrorist was surprised to find his heart not beating rapidly in panic. Instead, he felt a grim knot in his stomach that put a frown on his face. His expression remained this way as his eyes finally shut, and his mouth opened to release nothing but bubbles.

**II**

"Ack!" 624 was disoriented to find herself hoisted up by the back of her head, leaving all of her limbs dangling helplessly in the air. Her immobilized head couldn't glimpse at anything but the ceiling of the snow white practice arena. "Hey, you grabbed your opponent by the back of their head!" She gladly complimented whoever was holding her. "Good job, 10!"  
>"Thanks, 624." The medic smiled a smile that 624 could never see. If she could, she'd find it one strained behind a waterfall of sweat, though much shallower than the one on his face after his first mission.<br>"See? Now I can't reach you to break free." She pretended to grab at her student to demonstrate.  
>"Yeah, much easier than going for that bear hug thing," 10 gasped with a chuckle. "But wait, couldn't you still use your antennae to grab me?" No sooner had he finished speaking did he feel something like a thin, furry rope tighten around his ankle. "EEP!" He quickly found himself looking at what appeared to be 624 standing on the ceiling.<br>"You're exactly right, 10!" She chirped. He gave a light chuckle as his pulse slowed down. Drops of sweat crept up his forehead, and then to the tips of his hair of fins before falling to the floor like a light rain. "Another important thing..." The teacher began as she carefully helped her trainee upright again. "Never give your opponent helpful advice. 149 likes to do it, but you're not as...What's the word...?"  
>"Elusive?"<br>"Thick-skulled,"  
>"Oh...Well, she didn't think much about that broken nose,"<br>"There are a lot of things she doesn't think about." 624 noticed how moist and scarlet her student's face had become. "Right, so, counter-attacks, head-grab, don't help your opponent; I'd say that'll do it for today's class,"  
>"Really? Um, alright, if you say so,"<br>"What, did you wanna spar some more?"  
>"No, thanks," He answered quickly and nervously, as if an offensive joke were imminent. "Let's just go see if there are any updates on 626,"<br>"Okay. That sounds good," She replied softly as they exited through the small door in the corner.

Entering the dark halls from the practice arena was always disorienting, since its users had adjusted to the brightness of the room by the time they were finished training. It was worst for 10, who had never found a reason in eight years to set foot in the arena. The sensation of entering a room so alien to him yet memorized by everyone else sent a hot rush through his veins, like entering the house of a friend for the first time. Though he was beginning to adjust to frequent training sessions in the room with 624 and any others who cared to join them, his favorite part of them was when they finally left.

"Don't be too squeamish about it," 624 advised as she shut the door behind her with a nudge of her foot and no glance back at it. "You're not gonna hit me really hard by accident, and even if you did, I wouldn't be mad at you,"  
>"You wouldn't?" 10 sounded mildly surprised.<br>"Of course not," She smiled. "Accidents happen. At least that would be a sign that your combat skills are improving,"  
>"I guess...I just don't want to hurt my friend." He got only a wider smile in response, but that was just as satisfying as a sentence. "Maybe if I could practice against 21, I'd be less worried,"<br>"Pig," 624 corrected, somewhat sternly. "621 had her name changed, remember?"  
>"Of course I do...I remember everything he did to her..." His face turned a slight pale shade. "I know Twenty-Um, Pig...Violated 502, but I never got why you guys enjoyed hating her so much,"<br>"Well, she sure provided a good outlet for all our frustration," The pink Experiment replied casually. "Kinda wish she was here now," She added softly and maliciously. "Didn't you hate her, too?"  
>"I did!" 10 replied, as if worried he was being accused of a crime. "I thought she was a bully, a pervert, and a...A pig. I just didn't enjoy it like you guys all did,"<br>"Hm..." 624 pondered briefly before noticing 10's anxious expression. "Come on, let's go see if anything's changed." She motioned to move down the hall and he quickly followed.

10 pretended to forget the mention of the infamous Pig, yet he couldn't help but hear and see the ghost of the despicable creature in his ears and eyes. He heard 502's muffled groans echoing with Pig's more pleased ones, and he saw a different image in the mind of each eye. He couldn't, or wouldn't, decide which sent an icier chill up his spine; the tall and inferno-colored 502, bound, gagged, and underneath the yellow and muscular Pig, or the disgrace with 621 above her, coloring her face redder and blacker with each abhorrence-fueled fist.

"Would be nice if something had come up," 624 unintentionally brought him out of his perturbed recollection just as he was becoming lost. "It's been a good few hours,"  
>"I sure hope so," The medic replied as they walked. "But it seems like he got sent pretty far away. Maybe the pod's radar can't find him?"<br>"I don't know...626's pod was going so fast, I..." She trailed off for a moment, a melancholic frown corrupting her face. It quickly vanished, though not without leaving a faint shadow. "His pod was definitely damaged when it crashed, so even if he is within the radar, the two might not be able to connect,"  
>"Yeah, that can happen..." He continued with an unpleasant pit in his gut. "And we've also gotta find where Jumba and Hamsterviel,"<br>"Yup," The answer came with a rugged hint of vengeance behind it. "And 627! Can't forget the one who took 626 away in the first place, can we?"  
>"No, we can't..."<br>"You okay?"  
>"Yeah, yeah, it's just...I don't know, I just think finding 626 is more important,"<br>"Oh, of course," 624 replied kindly. "Crucial! No need to feel worried; you're absolutely right,"  
>"It's not just that...Forget it..."<br>"Sorry, my curiosity is peaked," The pink Experiment pried.  
>"I think...I feel like it's so important that I...I don't feel like getting Hamsterviel and Jumba is..." He answered hesitantly and quietly. "Important, I mean," He added when he noticed 624's silence.<br>"Hm," Was all she could say at first. By now, the door to their comrades was in front of them and the younger was leaning her hand against it. "Well, they lied to us, manipulated us for years," She began in an unusual tone between concerned and strict. "They engineered the explosion-on-contact that killed 501 and 502 and did who-knows-what to Number 89. They made 627 as the perfect assassin against us rebels, and he's gone and taken 626 from us, and I can bet they're going to do even worse soon. You don't think that it's important that people like that get what's coming to them?"  
>"No, no, I think they should, it's just that it doesn't feel <em>that <em>important for me," The medic worriedly answered, his fingers intertwining with each other in a tense dance.  
>624 sighed before answering. "That's alright, 10. Just so long as you want 626 back..." She pushed the door open, bowing in jest to both let 10 enter first and to show that there was no offense taken from his statements. "I'm sure he'd want them saved for him, anyway," She muttered as she followed him. The medic heard, but chose not to reply.<p>

The Federation pod had not moved an inch since the previous day. 150 sat inside with a cross expression upon his metal fist, staring intently at the screen, which still told nothing but that it was scanning the quadrant for a specific vessel. 300 also watched from outside. 621 and 345 were standing guard on the roof, while 221 was carefully unwrapping the bandage from 149's nose by the entrance to the medical ward.

"Hey, hey, hey!" 10 darted towards the couple so fast he could have teleported. "What are you doing?! You shouldn't remove that without asking me first!"

"Woah, relax, Tenzy," 149 began coolly. "I just thought my nose felt better, and since you were trainin' with 624, I asked 221 to do it. He only did it 'cause I asked, so only yell at me, got it?"

"I need to make sure it's alright to remove,"  
>"If it's not, you could've always put on a new one, right?" 221 suggested.<br>"Yes, but _I _know how to do it _right_," 10 argued.  
>"Oh, well then," The electrician replied sarcastically.<p>

"Well, you _are_ our medic, 10," 149 continued. "So _is_ it okay to remove?" She held her bandaged nose out for the doctor to inspect.

"...Yes, it's fine," He quietly answered, his pulse slowing after actually acknowledging his previous outburst. "Here..." He carefully unwound the bandage with precision like surgery, and 149's nose was bare again, with almost no hint of 627's striking it. "There, all better." He gave the nose two gentle taps.

"Thanks, bud." 149 chuckled as 10 entered the door to the medical ward to dispose of the old bandage. "He's gettin' more assertive," She stated to her lover.

"He _is_," 221 replied slyly. "I'm so proud,"

**III**

"Any updates?" 624 inquired softly as she approached the seated 150 and the standing, still-bandaged 300, both pairs of eyes glued to the pod's screen.

"No..." They both answered in near-perfect synchronization.

"Hm..." She glumly muttered in response.

"If we do find anything, you'll be the first to know," 150 added, remaining so still that it was only half apparent that he was speaking.  
>"Third, actually,"<br>"Hm?" He broke from his stillness and turned curiously.  
>"You and 300 will see it first, and if you told me straight after, then I'd be third,"<br>"Oh, yeah," The huge Experiment concurred. "That is true, unless you want to take over?" As he offered, the shapeshifter next to them made not the slightest movement, as though he were carved out of stone.  
>"Thanks, 150," 624 replied as they traded places. "I'll let you know when something pops up." She turned her attention to the image of a green line slowly making a circle like a clock, whilst images of constellations and occasionally planets scrolled behind it.<br>"Awesome," 150 responded as he made to leave, but he stopped and turned back to his friend, who was already staring as intently at the screen as he had been. "Hey, uh, 624?" He began softly.  
>"Mm?" She replied listlessly. The one-handed revolutionary opened his mouth to make his inquiry, but the indirect glare on 624's face combined with the more personal one he felt coming from 300 demotivated him. "Never mind. I'll ask you another time," He exhaled before leaving, feeling just as hollow as he did several hours ago.<br>"'Kay," Was the pink Experiment's only response. 150 slumped away, lost within the withering forest of his own thoughts, only being brought out when a familiar and upside-down white face suddenly appeared in front of his own.

"From here, it looks like you're smiling," 345 began, audibly concerned, though his smile was still far from death. "Which means you aren't really. How come?"  
>"A better question would be 'what's there to smile about?'" The plump Experiment glumly replied, looking up irritably at the clown, whose neck, now longer than a giraffe's, extended down from the wound 627 had created in the ceiling.<br>"Aw, I think there's always something to smile about, even if there's a lot to frown about, too; you just have to look hard enough,"  
>"Really?" 150 pressed, unconvinced.<br>"Really really,"  
>"For example?"<br>"Hmm, I don't know..." The clown's smile, thanks to his unique function, enlarged further than any other creature's cheeks would allow. "How about..." He quickly brought his elongated arms down into the base as well. Upon the two limbs, swinging from them like a trapeze, came an ocean blue form that sent a piercing bolt of pleasant shock through 150's heart.

"How are you, 150?!" 626 cheerfully asked upon landing in front of his comrade, patting him so enthusiastically on both shoulders that 150 could feel a slight prick. He didn't feel it, though, as his nerves were too preoccupied with the hammering disbelief that beat his brain. "Oh, sorry about that, 345," The blue Experiment turned back to the clown, who was now standing beside him, gently wiggling his left hand.

"Aw, that's okay, 626," 345 chirped as a certain viridescent marksman dropped down behind him, sporting the only smile he could create; one of ominous glee. "Just a little scratch is all. I'm just glad to have you back." He wrapped his arms around his old comrades like he was wrapping a present, topping it off with a friendly touch on the cheek from his grass green nose.

"I was beginning to worry that you'd be lost for a while," 621 rested a hand on 626's shoulder. "For once the scales tilt in our favor. Now we can focus entirely on finding Hamsterviel,"

"My thoughts exactly, 621," The returning rogue smirked similarly.

"_626!_" 149, 221, and especially 624, all exclaimed at once, with one in particular calling louder than the others. The fire within most of the Experiments transformed into fireworks, and together created a spectacular show that outgunned even that lighting up the planet Earth's American sky on its Independence Day. 149 and 221, as usual, could not restrain themselves, and immediately treated their veteran with a hug more airtight than the couple would even give each other. 624 felt stuffed with helium; the weight that even an Experiment struggled to hold was elevated high beyond anyone's reach. She experienced relief like that when 626 successfully grasped her foot and avoided an early, explosive end, mixed with an exhilaration more empowering than when the flag was blazed at the museum. In one second, she wanted nothing more than to share her emotional high with her favorite creature in the cosmos. She quickly leaned out the door of the pod with every intention of scooping 626 up and licking his face like a big, blue popsicle. In the next second, though, when the bandaged 300 put out a blob-like arm to block her planned route, she did not need to see his icy, fulvous gaze to realize that what seemed real was far too wonderful to be.

"Hi, 624," The blue Experiment greeted softly after breaking away from 221 and 149's claustrophobic hug. "C'mere..." He held his arms out to her. "I really, really missed you,"

624's disappointed frown lived only a second longer before it seemed to transform into a joyous beam. "Don't worry," She whispered confidently to 300, who was now holding 10 back as well. "I'll deal with him,"

"...Mind his fingers," The telepath whispered back.

"Got it. Thanks." The pink revolutionary was allowed past, and she immediately hugged what appeared to be 626, deliberately binding his arms through the embrace. "I missed you, too," She said softly before pulling away and rising to her usual cheerful chirp. "How did you get back? We thought you were pretty far off,"

"Well, as luck would have it, the Federation tracked the pod I was in," The returned Experiment merrily explained. "They sent some guys, so I did away with them, swiped their pod, and flew back here,"

"That _is _pretty lucky," 621 began, maintaining his ominous smile while a hint of suspicion crept through his arrows of teeth. "Where did you land, exactly?"_  
><em>

"A real shithole,"

"What, didja land on Irk?" 221 jokingly asked, a beam rivaling 345's upon his face.

"It was like if Irk had a creepy Gallifreyan government run by copies of 625 and 21,"

"Pig," 624 corrected.  
>"Excuse me?"<br>"Her name was Pig,"  
>"Yeah, I know,"<br>"You remember why we call her that?"  
>626's answer was delayed. "Because her face is so deformed,"<br>"Incorrect." 624 took a step back as the blue Experiment heard a threatening click right behind his head.

"Good guess, though," He heard 621's voice growl as he saw all smiles fade into scowls, except for 221 and 345's, which simply faded to grey. "Her face is deformed as part of her punishment,"  
>"Punishment for what?" 626 sounded suddenly cross; not an ounce of fear arose from the blaster at his head. "Don't tell me you abuse your own comrades!"<br>"I'm willing to demonstrate the consequences of one's actions," 621 snarled. "Yours, for example,"  
>"Oh, you're gonna shoot me in the head? Whatever did I do to deserve such a violent and agonizing demise?" The impostor replied sarcastically. His voice was every bit as solid as the true 626's; were a third party to stumble upon the scene at that moment, they would be incapable of differentiating the pretender from the original.<br>"I will, but first; you know Pig, which means you know where she and the rest of the Experiments are. And I'm very confident that you know where Jacques Hamsterviel and Jumba can be found, too,"  
>"Oh, I dunno..." The fake pretended to consider the demand. "It's not like my untimely death will be postponed either way, right?" His lips curled into a villainous smirk as he turned his head slightly to look back at the marksman. 621 now had a proper view of his new opponent's eyes; although they were black, they felt crimson. They housed their own impression of hell, but one that the angered revolutionary had definitely seen before. Were he more gullible, he would've lowered his weapon and apologized to 626. Instead he snarled, allowing a reveal of his forest of teeth.<br>"Are you a remodel?" He questioned strictly, blinking twice. "A clone of some sort?"  
>"Something like that; I'm what Dr. Jumba calls a <strong>L<strong>ater **E**ngineered **R**eplica that will **O**blige to **Y**ield, or a L.E.R.O.Y.," As he spoke, his blue coat of fur began to shift to a malicious scarlet, clashing strikingly with the flame in his gaze.

"You mean a L.E.R.T.W.O.T.Y.," 345 added with a yawn.

"Whatever you want, Plastic Man," L.E.R.O.Y. muttered, remaining focused on 621. "Hey, General Pissy, you even have any ammunition that would hurt me?" He said confidently when he saw the marksman blink some more.

"Hm," 621 returned a sly smile of his own. "Touche; if you are a copy of 626, and will 'oblige to yield' to Hamsterviel more than he would, then you should have all the same immunities..." He lowered his gun as he forced his eyes to remain open. "You know what I don't think you're immune to, though?" He didn't give L.E.R.O.Y. a chance to make a snide inquiry before he stomped firmly on his calf, forcing him to kneel. "Pain." He threw his strongest side kick into the scarlet Experiment's back. He stumbled forwards towards 624, who delivered a powerful headbutt into his forehead. His instant of vulnerability set off a chain reaction; a furious electric-charged hook from 221, a strike on top of his head from 150's metal fist, followed by a strong scissor kick, and then a roundhouse kick from 149, and a floppy front flip from 345 that kicked L.E.R.O.Y.'s face into the hard, metal floor. 624's elbow was in his back before he could return to his feet, and held him in place with a foot on his cheek and another in his right shoulder blade.

"Now, 621 asked you nicely..." She began, glaring at the only visible eye, indifferent to its menacing blaze. "Where the hell are Hamsterviel and his porky assistant?"

"You know, I can't help but notice that most of you guys dealt me less punishment than I expected," L.E.R.O.Y. ignored her persistence as he smirked cruelly back at his antagonists. "Only your attacks have been particularly painful, 624. The rest of you seem a bit tired, actually,"

The pink Experiment looked up and found all of her allies' eyes fluttering. "Who can be tired at a time li-..." 345 trailed off with a yawn before falling flat on the floor, as if into sleep.

"Son of a bitch..." 621 muttered scornfully, forcing his eyes away from so much as a blink. "Felt you scratch me...When I helped you out..." He fell to his knees, drifting. The Experiments toppled to the ground one-by-one like wounded deer, with the last left standing aside from 624 and L.E.R.O.Y. being 221, who rubbed his eyes fiercely to no avail. With his last moment of consciousness, he looked down at 626's red doppelganger, who looked back with a sinister grin. The electrician's last soft yet malicious words to him before he fell were "Fuck you..." Just before he started to fall, the alarmed 624, still reeling with the mixture of frustration, shock, and fury that whirled around in her gut, felt a quick, painless, but definitely resentful scratch on her ankle. Jerking her attention downwards, she found the claws of L.E.R.O.Y.'s left hand very near the foot that was restraining his head.

"Don't worry, I didn't forget about you," He joked slyly. "Just a bit of a knockout chemical Dr. Hamsterviel gave me. Why waste so much effort fighting the fat cripple, the queer clown, the chickenshit medic, the town bicycle, among others, when they can be taken out during a pat on the back, a group hug, a handshake, or, well, I'm sure you can guess,"

624 stepped off of L.E.R.O.Y., feeling fueled more with rage than with panic. "300, 10-" She turned to her remaining allies, only to find that they had vanished.

"Aw, your buddies are gone," The clone taunted as he arose, rubbing his stomped-on cheek. "I could expect that from Chickenshit, but the scary goop monster?" The lone rogue Experiment was haunted by L.E.R.O.Y.'s voice; it was identical to 626's in almost every way. He spoke to her with the same confident and defiant tone that the blue Experiment used against the Federation's supporters. The original's usage of his strong voice had been empowering to 624, but hearing it used against her filled her with a much less uplifting power. The scarlet Experiment approached what appeared to be the back of an isolated, poisoned, and intimidated enemy. "Don't worry, I'll find them for you. You just rest-" He found an elbow shoved cruelly into his throat and his body horizontal again. Only a millisecond later did he find two fierce pink hands around his neck, and looking up at a smirk even more malicious than he had distributed earlier.

"Nah, I think I'll kill you instead," 624 threatened in a tone that ominously combined contempt and delight. "Tell you what, though..." When L.E.R.O.Y. summoned two more limbs from his waist, she repeated him immediately and restrained them. Her antennae did likewise to his primary arms before they could retaliate. "You're right; telling us where Hamsterviel is won't make me change my mind about this, but if you did tell me, then I promise to finish you off with something less painful than this," She spoke just as proudly and defiantly to him as he had done to her, and as 626 had done time and time again. Her murderous grin widened as she observed L.E.R.O.Y.'s helpless gagging like so many feeble victims before him.

"He's-..." He gasped with barely any volume. He felt 624's fingers loosen slightly as he tried to speak. He opened his drying mouth to continue, but then he noticed her eyelids wave slightly. This destroyed his motivation to speak, and instead he took the few seconds he was given to regain some breath. His oppressor caught on quickly, to his misfortune, and the strangling resumed. The clone was drawn towards her eyes like a leaf into a whirlpool; her gaze encased a petrifying celebration of demonic fireworks, bright enough to blind and hot enough to scorch its entire audience, namely L.E.R.O.Y. His heart making a final spring for the finish line, the clone's eyes clamped shut as tightly as his windpipe. He grasped his breath for longer than he thought even an Experiment could. His brain became helium as his lungs neared total vacancy, and he felt something warm near his face, like a much kinder grasp reaching out to him. He was about to reach back for it, but only then did the warmth vanish like the wind, and he heard a miserable thud directly by his right ear. His eyes bursting open, he heaved the limp 624 off of him, as breathing became both a burden and a blessing. He stood up with a stumble, retracting his secondary arms and spitting on his unconscious strangler once his mouth had regained liquid to spare. He scanned over the room as his lungs refilled and his throat loosened; six of the eight Experiment he was searching for lay sleeping around the black-and-white Federation pod. He cursed under his gradually-returning breath at first, but then blamed his frustration on his current anguish. With a more optimistic mind, he leaped through the gap which he entered through, and approached the pod he arrived in, painted misleadingly in white and black. The duplicate walked around to the pod's two elliptic thrusters, in between which was a miniature, white, knob-shaped switched centered amid an otherwise pitch dark stern. Once the switch was flipped, the pod's storage compartment rolled open like a hasty garage door, revealing the crimson back of L.E.R.O.Y.'s partner. He could hear the tall Experiment muttering in barely a whisper.

"-the beating of their hideous hearts..."

"You ready?" L.E.R.O.Y. inquired solidly, his once-powerful voice now ringing with a deep rasp. 627 turned his head and stared for a moment before answering.  
>"Doesn't matter." He stepped out of the trunk with a similar glumness to that of someone forcing themselves from bed on a grey, stormy day. "You scratched them all?"<br>"Except 300 and 10, but there's nothing to worry about from the chickenshit, is there?"  
>"Hmph..." The older Experiment scoffed at the unconvincing statement. "We need to find them first,"<br>"Why?"  
>"So they can all be killed at once,"<br>"...Oooooor, you could just kill the three quarters of them that are down there now, and then have, really, just one threatening rogue to worry about,"  
>"I could..." 627 began as he approached the wound in the roof, leaving L.E.R.O.Y., still rubbing his own neck, to follow like a pet dog. "When somebody dies, the people around them feel like they need to do something; what that is depends on who died, how, and such. When someone is <em>killed<em>, though, the people around them feel like something should be done _to the murderer_; something...Conclusive. So if I kill the six you've already knocked out, 300 and 10 will get that feeling, but times six. That feeling, L.E.R.O.Y., is enough to make even a 'chickenshit' dangerous..." They had reached the gap by then, and 627 shut his dark eyes and hung his head for little more than a moment. "We get the last two as well, then kill them _all_, and we won't have to worry about making them more powerful." He finished as he jumped down, closely followed by a riveted L.E.R.O.Y.  
>"I'm surprised you know so much about vengeance, 627," He said once they were inside. The crimson Experiment responded with a weary sigh as he observed the would-be graveyard.<br>"I'm surprised _you_ would think that it's complicated..." 627 scanned the room until his eyes fell upon one particular door nearby. "Let's check in here." He approached the door while his scarlet partner followed, as if pulled by an invisible leash. Before the door could be opened, L.E.R.O.Y. found 624 laying where he left her, seemingly scowling up at him with shut eyes. The lack of fireworks, however, did little to hide their existence from the duplicate.

"Hey, uh, 627?" He called as firmly as he could, rubbing his neck once more. Only a light rasp remained with his voice now.  
>"What?" Was the irritated response.<br>"When you're ready, you think you could off the 624th here first?" The rasp came alligned with a tone of malicious confidence, not unlike that which he had used against the rogue Experiments earlier. 627's towering ears were disgusted by such a sound.  
>"No, L.E.R.O.Y. I'm not going to fulfill your desires before my own," He coldly scolded.<br>"But you want to get rid of her anyway-"  
>"No means no,"<br>"...Fine," The clone muttered in frustration, abandoning the dozing body temporarily to follow 627 again. As he did, he heard a slight chuckle, barely audible, but noticeable nonetheless. It was more of an amused hum than a proper laugh. "What's so funny?"  
>"Your prototype really liked her," The crimson Experiment opened the door with an ominous, metallic creak. "It's ironic..." The life of his faint smile finished abruptly as they both entered the barren medical ward. 627's pulse quickened, as if his heart were banging against his rib cage like an inmate demanding release from his cell. He reluctantly thought about the sensation he felt on Christmas Eve night. With every step, his heart pounded more brutally, and a second felt like a lifetime as he longed for someone to lunge at him, for his arms hungered for a retaliation. All too soon, though, he heard L.E.R.O.Y. yelp over a sinister slithering noise, like a cobra through a watery terrain. Darting around, he discovered the remake being slowly coated in a terrifyingly similar substance, coming from outside and colored a pale green. Before he could intervene, he was suddenly grasped by the back of his head by a fierce, clawed hand. His arms and legs dangled helplessly in the air as he was hoisted upwards. He did not need to see his attacker to identify him.<p>

10 reeled with panic and shock as he gripped 627. He recalled the assassin's display of electrokinesis during his previous attack, and thought that it might prove advantageous here, but kept his mouth shut. Both Experiments could clearly witness 300's possession of L.E.R.O.Y.

"_Get off!_" The scarlet clone exclaimed as he pulled desperately at the pale material that quickly consumed his body. "You're not getting in, you weed!" He was covered everywhere but his forearms, hands, shins, and feet. Just after his insult, his vision turned a fiery pink, and he felt his throat tighten like a taut rope. For mere seconds, the macabre fireworks celebration resumed in his brain, just before he gagged violently as his head shot backwards like a bullet, and then rolled back down on his shoulders almost automatically. L.E.R.O.Y. was now coated from head to toe in the pale green substance. His dark eyes were shut, but when they hovered open, they were an icy yellow that stared maliciously at the immobilized 627.

"I remember the way, 10," The pitch of L.E.R.O.Y.'s voice was as middling as always, but he spoke it with a deep, captivating monotone that both 10 and 627 associated with 300.  
>"You 'remember?'" 10 inquired, hurriedly putting his opponent's nose into the metal floor.<br>"Well, I _feel _as though I remember," The shapeshifter explained as he approached their horizontal enemy. "L.E.R.O.Y.'s mind is completely vulnerable to me, to the point that I experience some thoughts and memories as he does. The route is familiar to him, so what I know to be recent knowledge feels similarly familiar." He descended to one knee and pulled up 627's face by the chin, aiming two of L.E.R.O.Y.'s claws just in front of the narrowed eyes. "Good night," He said flatly, with his puppet's wrist only a second away from an onward motion. 10 was restraining 627's arms, doing so with a hammering heartbeat against his chest. The crimson Experiment, for barely more than a moment, was relieved. He felt next to peace and was prepared to fall composedly into a slumber long overdue. It made him impatient. Then two thin beams of dark red leaped from his eyes, repelling his possessed ally. 300's fall backwards distracted the medic just long enough for him to be picked up by his trunk.

"And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain..." 627 muttered as he struck 10 firmly enough in the stomach to make him feel like vomiting. "Thrilled me, filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before..." He continued as his opponent grasped the arm that held him and, his body acting sooner than his brain, thrust both feet into either side of 627's neck. The red assassin spluttered and gagged as he dropped 10, who made to scurry towards the 300-L.E.R.O.Y. hybrid. "So that now, to still the beating of my heart," 627 coughed while spinning around and snaring 10's foot in a grip that would've destroyed the limb of a less sturdy being. "I stood repeating-_augh_!" He received a thin laser to the head straight from his enemy's trunk, and his grasp was broken once more. 10 hurried out of the medical ward where he found much more red on L.E.R.O.Y. than he would've liked.

"_Please_!" The clone cried out in fury as he pulled desperately at the psychological coating that persisted in enslaving him. "_Just let me go, you son of a bitch_!" As he struggled, his teeth barred like an impenetrable gate, and a storm of tears fled from his fiery eyes.  
>"A poor insult, L.E.R.O.Y.-626..." His response came from the same mouth. "Since we share a creator,"<br>"_Shut up_! _Stop showing me those-...What in the universe are these, anyway_?!" He demanded, appalled and panicked at what flashed within his eyes. "_How did you think up all these disgusting things_?!"  
>"These images are not products of <em>my<em> imagination,"  
>"<em>Just stop them<em>!"  
>"No,"<br>"...Fine." L.E.R.O.Y. fell to his knees and slammed his claws violently enough into the floor to create a slight rumble. He noticed 10 out of the corner of his eye, and 627 just behind the bewildered Experiment in mid-pounce. He imagined what he knew the assassin would do to the medic, and every possible and impossible way it could be done. To conclude his fantasy, he pictured only a static image of the green Experiment, but thought of his appearance if the dark green fur was just as scarlet as his own. He concentrated on the visual in his mind's eye and let it consume every fiber of him, including whatever was attached to him.

"I stood repeating; 'Tis some visitor...'"  
>"<em>Stop<em>!"  
>"'Entreating entrance at my chamber door...'"<br>"_I said STOP-AUGH_!"

The sounds of battle just next to him were barely a rat's squeak compared to noise that rang in his ears. The cry that he caused was unique; of unbearable agony and chilling terror, but as satisfying to L.E.R.O.Y.'s ears as a rose was to one's nose. 300 screamed. The clone's face tasted the clear air within the oxygen field once more, and waited only a second to grasp the glob-like head that had strenuously parted ways with his own. He pulled 300 down over his shoulders, landing him violently on his back. L.E.R.O.Y. then picked up his opponent and held him up for 627, whose right fist crackled with electricity as he stood over a splayed 10 with a blackened face. "Spare a shot, Terrance?" L.E.R.O.Y. requested. The taller Experiment obliged and shot two lasers from his eyes into 300's chest. His attack was followed up by the duplicate smashing the shapeshifter headfirst into the floor and then punting him into the air. After a confident bound, L.E.R.O.Y. concluded his combo with an airborne headbutt, which landed 300 on the roof of the black-and-white Federation pod, behind which he involuntarily slid down, out of sight. "Hey, if you're done beating up the runt, you can come off 300..." L.E.R.O.Y. trailed off when he saw his partner striking the cowering medic without end or mercy. 10's arms acted as a vaguely effective barrier for his head, only lessening or transferring the pain from his targeted face.

"Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door..." His eyes were clamped shut in front of the storm of blows; all he could hear was the poem, as if pouring automatically from 627's lips without their speaker's consent.

"_Stop!_" 10 cried. "_Why?! What did I do?!_" The pummeling suddenly halted. The medic was allowed an opportunity to lower his arms and open his eyes, one turning black. 627's glare could've turned him to ashes where he lay; though the violence had stopped, 10 was being stared at with what he could only describe as the purest epitome of fury and disgust. The medic moved to sit up, but was then grasped by the neck and shaken like the rattle of an oversized and irritable infant. 10's eyes felt as if they were sinking into his skull, and he felt like his strangler was suppressing vomit as well as air. He experienced unbearable agony in one moment, and then felt the bare minimum of feeling in the next. Finally, 627 let out an ear shattering roar before tossing 10 in the same direction L.E.R.O.Y. had sent 300, only the green Experiment sailed violently through the air before crashing through the door that lead to the training arena. Without a second's hesitation, 627 darted resentfully for his victim, ignoring the pod behind which 300 had last been seen.

"Alright..." L.E.R.O.Y. grumbled, peering behind the vehicle to find the shapeshifter, but saw nothing. He did hear something; a crackling from the pod, right before a voice remarkably similar to his own spoke beneath it.

"...Hello? 624? 621?"

**IV**

627 found 10 having landed on his stomach in the dark hallway. He had heard the transmission just as L.E.R.O.Y. had, but his head burned too furiously to pay it any immediate mind. He grasped the viridescent neck once more, lifting the medic up with every intention of punishing him further, but his hands stopped before they could lift him from the floor. Instead, they held the neck less firmly to confirm his suspicion. When the assassin had grasped 10's throat only seconds ago, it rumbled and shifted like a fidgeting child forced to wait in a chair. The neck was now as stiff as a husk. The trunk which had once squirmed as much as its owner only lay draped over 627's bloodied forearm like an abandoned rag. He dropped the hollow head without care, closing his heavy eyelids, and spoke softly enough that even he could barely hear. "This it is...And nothing more..."

"Hey, uh, 627?" L.E.R.O.Y. called hesitantly from the damaged pod. "I've got some, uh, bad news." No response; just the assassin's silent, frigid back. "Hey, egghead!"

"What?!" He suddenly reared his head quicker than a bullet, giving the clone a jolt.

"You didn't actually finish off my prototype!" This brought 627 upright again, turning around completely. The fury in his face did not alter, only worsened. He marched towards L.E.R.O.Y. as the clone continued. As he got nearer, he could hear an obnoxious static groan from the console, which only piled onto his agitation. "He just tried to contact another space vehicle. He asked for the other rogues, but he might've just been happy to contact anyone,"  
>"So he's still out there?" The assassin pressed.<br>"Yeah-"  
>"Where?!" 627 was up in L.E.R.O.Y.'s face; the clone felt cooked just from the vengeful glare. "Did you find out where he is?!"<br>"I did, I did!" L.E.R.O.Y. then lowered his strong voice, knowing that somebody was still unaccounted for. "The screen showed the coordinates for a moment before it fizzled out. I'll tell you later; 300's still about, and he could hear us, even find the information in my mind-" He was cut off when 627's bloodied arm sliced through the air and sunk into the console like a drill into a planet's crust, halting at its center. The horrible static ceased, and the noise was now substituted by the much less grating sound of sparks pouring from the machinery's wound every few seconds. 627's eyes were shut, as if asleep and enduring a less-than-pleasant dream; he looked to the flabbergasted L.E.R.O.Y. like a melancholic statue for all of eight seconds, and then he leaped out of the pod and onto the ceiling, just by its gap. "Where do you think you're going?!"  
>"To find the bastard!"<br>"What about the rest, you stupid prick?!"  
>"Next time."<br>"But you said-  
>"<em>I know what I said! <em>This is far more important; even worse than the rest of those monsters! Come on, I need you to tell me where he is before 300 finds out!" 627 vanished through the hole before the clone could argue again. After hearing the thunderous response, L.E.R.O.Y. turned around briefly to see 10, distant in more ways than one, down from the doorway. "Hmph. Figures." Without so much as a second glance, he followed his hasty partner out of the base. As he departed, he was oblivious to the medic slowly opening his icy, yellow eyes.

**V**

"Come on..." Stitch said through barred teeth, holding sparking wires together in three of his four hands. His free upper left hand was leaned against the cracked, black screen. As he waited impatiently for a reaction, he gazed out of where the pod's windshield once was. He had been working, he estimated, for over an hour, but at least the weather was much drier than last night's. The once blackened sky was growing an edge of orange. Staring at it made Stitch's eyes flutter, but they shot back open at the thought of being drowned by Scrump again. The screen flickered for just a second. "_Come on, come on!_" He leaned in closer as the screen lit up some more. "Hello? 624? 621?" In between moments of white static, several images flashed upon the screen for barely seconds before vanishing. Stitch saw a bewildered boy no older than Lilo, with tall brown hair that curled at the top like icing, then a curious-looking man with curly brown hair and a colorful scarf that had no visible end, then a familiar creature that had some resemblance to a shark, then a green-skinned creature with mad, purple eyes, then a surprised, scarlet creature that made Stitch feel like he was looking in a mirror, then a pale green doll with a sewn-up grimace, and lastly a confused man wearing a brown suit that seemed much less contemporary than anything he had seen a human wear, sitting in what appeared to be an enormous, wooden machine. Stitch shook his head and shut his eyes when he thought he had seen both Scrump and himself, and then the screen coughed up a series of sparks from a newly-created hole. "Ah, shit..." The stranded terrorist stared at the deceased screen for several seconds, vainly preserving the false hope that the situation he had entered was simply another dream. Soon, though, he stepped out of the pod, almost automatically, and onto the lighthouse's prickly stone floor. He had shattered several windows and one of the white walls to fit the pod inside the high, circular room, only to find that the dull and primitive machinery lining its interior like chalk around a corpse was just as deteriorated. Even the tall, glass machine encasing a light bulb, serving as a centerpiece beside which the decaying pod was now placed, was coated in ghostly cobwebs. Stitch took in a heavy amount of the planet's oxygen through his nose, and then released it from his mouth. He shut his eyes for a moment, and then he turned to the wrecked vehicle. "_BLITZNAK!_" He turned and kicked the pod's underside hard enough for his foot to pass through the metal. "Goddammit..." He pulled his trapped limb back forcefully. He looked out the entrance he had created earlier, finding the sky's orange border expanding slowly but surely. Shooting the would-be scrap one final, scornful look, he turned and darted out of the lighthouse, free falling towards the sand like a diver. As he prepared for the moment when he would roll forward and land on his feet, he hoped, even more so than for his own rescue, that Lilo had not awoken and realized that what lay beneath the covers of the bottom bunk was merely a lump of pillows.

**VI**

"Heard you lost your job." Nani didn't receive so much as a greeting from Cobra Bubbles when she opened the door. His tone was as blunt as his statement. There would have been an awkward silence were it not for Lilo and Stitch's cackling behind Nani. The alien, lying amidst several scattered toy cars, laughed because of Lilo's tickling, while the human's chuckling was for her new friend's own admirable laugh; youthful and elderly at once.

"Oh, uh, Mr. Bubbles..." Nani was already unsettled by the towering man's mere presence, but the obvious circumstances for his return were enough to freeze her blood. "Hello. I wasn't expecting you,"  
>"Nor was I; I was rather looking forward to taking my boat out," He toed the line of sarcasm. "As it happens, when I stopped by your former workplace to ask about your work habits, I discovered that you are no longer in their service as of last night,"<br>"Well, uh...Yes...Yes, there was a...Yes, I was fired,"  
>"I was told by your former employer that your new pet was being...Troublesome." The social worker peered over Nani's shoulder to see the blue creature, who was now free of Lilo's ticklish grasp. His beam had faded when he noticed Cobra, but Lilo's spirit was too lofty to lose her grin. "Personally..." Cobra's attention returned to Nani, although his eyeballs shot a glance to the dog every other second, and his neck longed to follow suit, as if Stitch were a sunny view from the window of a monotonous classroom. Had he not been wearing sunglasses, Nani would've been distracted by his inconstant gaze. "I've heard of worse things to terminate an employee for, but regardless, your being jobless is something I cannot ignore." He noticed Nani turning pale, but she did not sweat or fidget. She stood firm and intent, like he was telling her a story. He wanted to smile; perhaps improvement had already begun. At the same time, he could see Stitch approaching him on all fours, with Lilo following without any immediate concern. Improvement was apparent in the younger sibling as well. "I'll give you three days; I don't believe I need to explain what happens if circumstances have been static by then,"<br>"No, you don't," Nani answered firmly. "And I can promise you, circumstances will not have been static by then,"  
>"I hope so-" The false cough of a third party cut Cobra off like scissors through paper. Looking down, both he and Nani found Stitch, still on his hands, and looking up at the suited social worker with a look of aggressive curiosity. Cobra, for a moment, felt like he was seeing a reflection. Stitch would've felt likewise, but something obstructed his view.<p>

"Can I help you?" Cobra sliced swiftly through the silence. In response, the Experiment lifted his left hand and beckoned. Cobra warily obliged and knelt down closer to the strange creature. Almost immediately after he descended, his sunglasses were snatched from his face. "_Hey!_" He took his property back with equal force. Stitch, despite his outward glare, relished in the reveal of Cobra's eyes, sharp like a rainfall of arrows. Making proper eye contact with the social worker gave Stitch a victorious tickle, like that when plasma struck his unreactive skin and dripped pathetically to the floor. "Come now, there's no need for that," Cobra added more calmly, standing up as he returned his sunglasses to their proper place. His trench-deep voice reminded Stitch of an old ally, although Cobra didn't impress him half as much.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Bubbles," Nani exclaimed, scooping up the Experiment indelicately under the arms and plopping him back inside. "That's Stitch; our new dog. He's a bit...eccentric,"

"So I've heard..." Cobra replied lowly.

"Sorry, sir." They both heard Lilo's voice, much more stimulated than Cobra recalled, and looked down to find the girl peeking out from behind her sister, cuddling the irritated alien from behind with much more care than Nani had just shown. "Stitch had a nightmare last night, so he's feeling a bit jumpy. But I'm teaching him to be good. I promise,"

"Let's hope that you are successful," He replied solidly before turning back to Nani. "Three days..." He received a firm nod in response. He made to leave, but turned back for just a moment. "Just do your best...Good day," He finished before finally turning and descending the steps of the house. It took Nani a few seconds to realize that she should shut the door.

"He's kind of a nag, isn't he?" Lilo stated, as if they had been visited by Mertle or one of her identical companions. "Poking his big, round nose into everything,"

Nani knew a reasonable reaction would be to scold her sister for her disrespectful remarks, but couldn't help but concur. "Yeah, he kind of is, actually," She released a chuckle which she shared with Lilo. Stitch, as if oblivious to the immortal hug he was receiving, still grimaced. He turned his head to look over Lilo's shoulder, seeing the hideous makeshift doll laying on the floor like an empty husk.  
>"Did he tell you to hurry up and find a job?" The younger girl inquired.<br>"Yeah, he did," Nani tried to maintain her somewhat heightened spirits. "I'll get my resume and then we'll head out. You and Stitch can play around while I see about any job openings, just make sure he doesn't break anyone's nose," Nani shared another chuckle with her sister before leaving after the mentioned resume.  
>"Can I bring dad's record player?" Lilo asked after. "I wanted to show Stitch some Elvis songs,"<br>"Sure, just don't have it on too loud," The older sibling called back, now in a different room.

"Resume?" Stitch asked Lilo as he was finally released.  
>"Some paper that Nani needs to show people so they can see if she'd be a good employee," She explained. "Don't know why she can't just tell them and they listen,"<br>"People stupid. If they read...They get smarter," The Experiment joked, but he didn't lie. Lilo guffawed before looking at him with concern.  
>"Why did you take Mr. Bubbles' glasses?"<br>"Stitch wanted see eyes. See how they looked,"  
>"...How did they look?"<br>"Orange, red. Like fire." As he answered, Lilo's stomach dropped when the flames licked the rims of his eye sockets, as if they were kissing him passionately. "Stitch see it before,"  
>"Where did you see it?" The girl asked hesitantly, but her curiosity outmatched her reluctance.<br>"People who killed," He responded blankly. The fire now seemed to wave out of the black eyes and towards Lilo, and she suddenly felt sweat approaching from beneath her ebony hair. Her pulse seemed to halt for just a second before resuming at a hastier pace. "Record player?" Stitch asked when he noticed Lilo's idling.  
>"Oh, right, thanks." Lilo turned to retrieve the musical device from its place on the coffee table by the couch, where it had not shifted since the lonelier Friday afternoon. As she brought it down, Stitch turned his head to see Scrump, still horizontal on the floor, her buttons narrowed beneath her sagging fabric brow. As she glared at him, his throat felt suddenly numb.<p>

**VII**

"Any reason why Nani's starting with the retarded old fossil?" Scrump questioned casually as Lilo set the record player upon the hard, gray sidewalk next to their car. Lilo turned to see Nani, one of the several papers she had brought in hand, approaching a lady half her size but much more than twice her age. The elder stood behind a row of shelves containing seemingly infinite quantities of colorful fruit, paralleling the shaded room of crates that lay behind them.  
>"Mrs. Hasagawa's not retarded, Scrump," Lilo corrected the doll, returning her attention to the machine.<br>"What is she, like, ninety? Why isn't she frickin' dead?"  
>"<em>Scrump!<em>"  
>"What?"<br>"You know what,"  
>"Alright, fine. I'm sorry," Enough sincerity rang in Scrump's distorted voice to partially fill a matchbook. She then noticed Stitch suspiciously peering into the thin, horizontal slots that lined one wall of the wooden base. "There's nothing in there, prickface,"<p>

Stitch glared up at the doll, his scorn for it increasing with every second of attention squandered upon it. Growing impatient, he summarized his feelings as bluntly as he could. "Fuck off, Scrump,"

"Stitch!" Lilo scolded.  
>"What?"<br>"Don't say things like that!"  
>"Lilo said to me,"<br>"I didn't say anything!"  
>"Stitch heard. Stitch saw Lilo's mouth move,"<br>"You did _not_, you-" She suddenly stopped and shook her head. "Never mind. Anyway..." She put Scrump down on the furthest side of the sidewalk from the road. "This, Stitch, is Elvis." She pushed a miniature switch to the bottom right of the black disk on top of the device. The Experiment raised an eyebrow at the unusual flow of sounds that poured from the machine, swinging and jumping as if they were alive, and lining up to form something Stitch could never have imagined. It felt like a painting that he observed with his ears.

_You ain't nothin' but a hound dog. Cryin' all the time.  
>You ain't nothin' but a hound dog. Cryin' all the time.<em>

"Elvis?" Stitch asked, fascinated. The inconvenient knowledge of his pod's lack of cooperation was drowned out by the music.  
>"Yep." She gently but enthusiastically pulled him to his feet.<br>"What is Lilo doing?"  
>"I'm showing you how to dance,"<br>"Dance?"  
>"Just do what I do." Holding onto his outstretched hand, she fell backwards and touched the ground with her free hand. Stitch, almost automatically, did likewise.<p>

_Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine._

They both bounced upright again, and then repeated the movement with swapped hands. Lilo pulled Stitch towards her with enough force to make him tip, but she caught him with an arm under his back, their noses barely touching, and lifted him upright.

_Well, they said you was high-classed. Well, that was just a lie.  
>Well, they said you was high-classed. Well, that was just a lie.<em>

The terrorist hesitated, but then recreated the tipping movement with Lilo in his place. He found himself chuckling as she spur around under his arm, and she joined in as he repeated her.

_Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine. _

She acted as a pendulum as Stitch dived feet first beneath her legs, pulling him back up afterwards. After she dived under him, she was pulled back up in a joyous spin. "You're doing great!" Lilo cheered as they continued dancing. Stitch only laughed in response.

_Well, they said you was high-classed. Well, that was just a lie._

The heartening sound of his youthful and ancient laughter alongside the music generated a sense of warmth within her which even the generous Hawaiian sun could deliver. Stitch felt likewise, his mind never once being invaded by his plucky, pink mentor, a broken, useless pod, or even burning flags.

_Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine._

The Experiment's pulse quickened as it had several times before, but where previously it charged like a bloodthirsty warrior, now it seemed to soar like a graceful bird. He and Lilo flowed into the music like water through a canal, right up until an unwelcome voice met the Experiment's long ears.

"Watch where you're dancing, twinkletoes!" The low and surly voice ordered sarcastically. The source was in front of Stitch, but he knew it was meant to originate elsewhere. While Elvis continued singing, both Stitch and Lilo glanced over the terrorist's shoulder, finding that his left foot had landed a mere inch away from the laying Scrump.

"Careful, Stitch," Lilo warned him more warmly while he still glared at the doll. "Come on, we can still keep dancing. Just try not to step on-"

"No." The alien broke away and reached for the macabre creation. The girl could predict what he wanted to do and darted around him, picking up Scrump before he could. "Lilo," Stitch pressed not quite as firmly as he had when demanding to see her poor math test. "Put Scrump away." He took a step towards her, so she stepped back, holding her craft in both hands.

_You ain't nothin' but a hound dog. Cryin' all the time._

"She didn't do anything wrong; she only said to try not to step on her,"  
>"She didn't say. Scrump can not say, Lilo,"<br>"What are you talking about?"  
>"Put away or give to Stitch." He continued to step closer to her, and she stepped back at the same time, as if they were still dancing. The terrorist's focus was shared between the girl and the doll, with the former, for a few moments, seeming to adopt Scrump's immortal frown. Lilo was forced to halt by something wooden, and looked over her shoulder to see shelves stacked with fruit. She also found her sister, fixated upon her job interview.<p>

_Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine._

"Didn't you work at that luau down the way?" Mrs. Hasagawa inquired, adjusting her glasses, three times the size of her eyes, to examine Nani's typewritten resume.  
>"Yes, I did." The interviewee answered stolidly.<br>"But not anymore?"  
>"No..." Nani considered adding to her simple response, but quickly changed her mind.<br>"Hm...How's your little sister, by the way?" The old woman asked, looking up from the paper suddenly.  
>"She's great. Mrs. Hasagawa, I would really appreciate the opportunity to work here..."<p>

Before Lilo could plan her next movement, her dog seized the opportunity to swipe Scrump out of her hands. "Hey, no fair!" She attempted to swipe her macabre creation back, but Stitch avoided her with a graceful front flip. Graceful, that is, apart from the wobbly result of his landing on one of the wooden fruit shelves.

"_Oh, my word!_" Mrs. Hasagawa exclaimed with shock as she darted around to the messier side of her fruit stand. She frantically scooped up the fallen products that covered the floor like a blanket and left the shelf nearly bare, using her white apron as a crude sack.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Hasagawa," Nani proclaimed as calmly as she could. She joined the elderly woman in retrieving the fruit, knowing that each and every individual colorful item would need to be washed before returning to the shelf. "That's our new dog. We're still, uh, training him,"

"New dog?" The old woman turned to look at the strange creature, still standing upon the wooden shelf, gripping the horrific doll in his hand, looking upon the scene with a surprised look. His black eyes narrowed once he jumped off of the shelf and dropped Scrump lazily to the ground. Lilo picked it up quickly with both hands and brushed sand out of its stalk of hair. Mrs. Hasagawa was silent for a moment after looking at the alien. "I'm very sorry, Nani, but I don't think there'd be any work for you here,"  
>"Oh..." Nani wanted to say something like 'What?!' or 'Excuse me?', but tried to remain courteous. As soon as the bland word left her lips, she wished she had chosen any other word.<br>"I mean, things already quiet enough around here with just me. I'd just be wasting your time keeping you here,"  
>"I could help you clean these," The older sister bargained.<br>"...Well, I suppose I could give you some money for helping with that. But I've nothing to offer you long-term. So sorry, dear." The elderly shopkeeper smiled warmly at Nani, and she reciprocated dishonestly. Behind the oversized glasses and comforting brown eyes, she could deduce an alternative reason for the refusal. Small amounts of work meant small amounts of income, and were anyone in Mrs. Hasagawa's employ, said income would become smaller when divided between herself and her employee. Whether it was to defend her interests or Nani's, the unemployed sibling could not determine. All she knew was that Mrs. Hasagawa would never admit to such a dilemma. Regardless, she agreed to take the temporary work, despite it not meeting Cobra's demands. The money would prove useful at some point. Even Lilo and Stitch helped, but both were unnervingly silent as they retrieved the fruit and put it in a box-like sink behind the shelves. As the blue Experiment went to and fro between the mess and the sink, his stomach felt strange, like it were falling and trying to drag his heart with it. The sensation was alien to him, but somehow he wondered if Pig had ever felt it when receiving any one of her uncountable blows. Just as the tedious job was concluding, he realized that the record player had remained on the whole time. Stitch could tell easily that it was a song differing from the one he and Lilo had danced to. He glanced at Scrump, still held tightly in her creator's hand, and actually listened to the words that danced with the music.

_You make me so lonely, baby,_  
><em>I get so lonely,<em>  
><em>I get so lonely I could die.<em>

**VIII**

Nani attempted twice more at securing employment. Both times, her sister and her pet remained in the car, with more arguments between Stitch and Scrump than conversation with Lilo. The older sibling was answered only with a promise that she'd be contacted, as opposed to the more welcome guarantee of a new job. Regardless, she decided that it was much better than what she was given by Mrs. Hasagawa. She went home feeling hopeful that evening, while the younger girl and the terrorist did not know how to feel at all.

"Stitch likes Elvis," The Experiment said to break the silence that had lasted since they had entered Lilo's bedroom, darkening with the sky outside.  
>"I knew you would," She sat up on her bed and smiled at him, still holding Scrump carefully.<br>"Stitch likes dancing, too." He curled up at the foot of her bunk. He smiled as well, although he was befuddled. His stomach still felt heavy, and seemed to shift with every moment he observed either sister. It seemed a quieter version of what he felt on his first mission, racing to escape the suicidal space vessel. Lilo's smile maintained for a few more seconds, and then it shrunk as she held up her macabre toy.  
>"You could've done more if you didn't start bothering me!" Scrump muttered maliciously at Stitch.<br>"Stitch would not if Scrump not mean," The alien replied the doll firmly, although he was making eye contact with Lilo.  
>"You think I'd just let you stomp on me with your big, stupid feet?!"<br>"Without rude,"  
>"From me or from you? Come on, it's not difficult,"<br>"Not just rude today; yesterday, too. Call Stitch names, say I am 'pig with rabbit ears,'"  
>"<em>I'm <em>rude?! I didn't get Lilo's pussy sister fired!"  
>"Bad word,"<br>"Zippit! I didn't steal that big asshole Bubbles' sunglasses or ruin the fossil's fruit!"  
>"You couldn't,"<br>"Not the point! All you've done is make things a fucking pain for everyone-"  
>"<em>LILO!<em>" Stitch may very well have frozen the girl in solid ice. "_Stop it!_" He breathed in and out slowly before continuing, softer in the hopes of earning an explanation for such behavior. "Why does Lilo say mean things?"

"What mean things?" The girl asked, anxious.  
>"Lilo says bad words and then look like Scrump say,"<br>"It _is _Scrump!"  
>"<em>Don't lie!<em>"  
>"<em>Don't yell at me!<em>" Now it was Stitch's turn to freeze, as Lilo's confused frown shifted into a glare. In the moment after she had retorted, she returned to her former weakened expression, and the alien and the human's faces seemed to be reflections of one another. Stitch sat up so he could take a new seat next to the girl, sitting only with his bottom like the girl and not on his whole front like a dog.  
>"Lilo..." He began, softer than he had spoken even to 10. "Scrump cannot talk. Scrump cannot move. Stitch hears Lilo say bad things about him and everyone else, but make different voice. Make different voice and call it Scrump. Stitch hears Lilo say bad things to him, and makes Stitch sad. But when Lilo is not Scrump, Lilo makes Stitch happy. Stitch likes to talk to Lilo without Scrump,"<br>"...Wait, you said that I need to teach people to not push me around," The girl objected, mostly inquiring, but a hint of humor rang with her tone to show that she did not mean it maliciously.  
>"Yes...Stupidheads, like Mertle. Not your friends. Friends say good things. Make other friends happy." Stitch briefly thought of the ecstatic and elastic 345. He noticed Lilo's head was hung. He thought to tell her to look up with some firmness, but he found no motivation to do so. "Look at Stitch, please," He asked kindly, and she obeyed. "Is Stitch your friend?"<p>

Lilo smiled and wrapped her arms around the furry alien, dropping the limp, macabre doll to the floor as she did. Scrump hit the wooden ground much like the corpse which it resembled. "Of course you are, Stitch. You're my best friend." The Experiment found himself reciprocating the hug more automatically than he had been previously. His fur provided a permanent source of warmth, but that which he felt when hugged by Lilo somehow felt more rewarding. He now realized why hugging 624 had made him feel calm when battling 627. "I love you, Stitch," Lilo said quietly after a few silent moments. The terrorist hesitated in his response, as he knew that it would not be entirely genuine. At least, he didn't believe it to be.  
>"Stitch loves you, too." The sentence poured discreetly from Stitch's lips, curved around, and then stabbed him in the chest. Nevertheless, the embrace was maintained for several more minutes, until they pulled away for the Experiment to make an additional, more sincere statement. "Stitch is sorry for making mess today,"<br>"It's okay. Nani said Mrs. Hasagawa wanted to harvest all our brains for her evil experiments, anyway," Lilo joked, although her friend seemed legitimately concerned. He felt that he should return to the old woman's fruit stand and snap her neck before said experiments got out of hand. "But she told the brain harvesting police and they took care of it," Lilo added when she noticed the alien's concerned expression, and he released a sigh of relief. "Why don't we read a story before bed?"  
>"Okay. Which story?"<br>"Let's see..." The girl hopped off of the bottom bunk and approached the completely filled bookshelf right across from it. Stitch could not help noticing that Lilo's bare foot had landed its first step just short of the laying Scrump's head, not unlike he himself had done when dancing earlier that afternoon. The moment felt more significant to him than he thought it should, but all the same, he found himself wishing that either his foot or Lilo's had landed just a few millimeters elsewhere. Lilo quickly returned with a crimson book of about the same thickness as a brick, upon which gold text spelled out _The Complete Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen._ "I thought about getting the one of Edgar Allan Poe, but I don't think we're in the mood for any sad stories right now,"  
>"Happy stories, then?" Stitch inquired with a soft smile.<br>"Most of them, yeah." The girl, returning to the chipper disposition the alien had come to know her for, returned to her former seat next to him as she opened the collection of stories. "Here; you can pick." She showed him a page containing a towering list of titles beside dots leading to numbers.  
>"So many..." The Experiment muttered as he scanned the lengthy list. Only mere hours ago, he was gritting his teeth over his lack of any means of escape from the planet, and was now confused to find his foremost concern being what was the most captivating amongst titles such as <em>The Snow Queen<em> and _The Little_ _Mermaid_. He knew that he should be searching for an alternative to the tattered pod in which he arrived, but somehow his time on this unusual new planet felt incomplete. Finally, he made his decision and pointed to the entry entitled _The Ugly Duckling._

**IX**

Stitch did not realize until he left the room that he had no reason to. The night before, he had left Lilo asleep while he went to work on the black-and-white pod, although he knew now that any timely repair was nigh impossible on such a primitive planet. He had nothing to do, and yet, unlike Lilo, he was wide awake. He descended the stairs automatically, hoping he would eventually feel weary enough to lie down on the comfortable sheets. As he walked, the events of the story that Lilo recited before drifting peacefully to sleep bounced about inside his brain. Despite their erratic movement, they acted as an enzyme that calmed his befuddled thoughts. A creature called a duck, who had thought himself hideous, searched in many hospitable places for a new home, only to be driven from them all and spend the winter in a lonely cave. The ending in particular riveted Stitch; the duckling, suicidal, flung himself at a group of swans in the hopes of them ending his misery. Instead, they welcomed him into their group, and he finds that he himself was a swan all along. Stitch had heard other stories before from his fellow revolutionaries, all involving the unfortunate death or disappearance of a comrade, or the gruesomely specific murder of a pathetic foe. This _Ugly Duckling_ came as a surprise. No violence, no struggle between rivals; just a sad creature finding peace where he least expected it. So simple yet so fascinating. It racked his brain still as he ventured away from the stairs when he reached the house's lower floor. He wished the Hans Christian Andersen who spun the tale were nearby so he could inquire about its simplistic intrigue. Just before he could decide where to go from the stairs, he heard Nani's voice responding quietly to an inaudible one.

"Yes?...Yes, that's right..." She sounded excited. He heard a light thump, and assumed that she had slammed her arm upon something in anticipation. Both sounds had emitted from the living room on his left, so he headed there. Surely enough, the older sister was there, sitting on the couch, her right arm on the parallel chair arm, which Stitch assumed was what had caused the light thump, while her left hand held a phone to her ear, with a chord leading to a coffee table on her right. She had a wider grin on her face than the Experiment had ever seen, so much so that it was like a lightbulb, filling the dark room with light. As she listened on, however, the lights were dimmed.  
>"I see..." She said like a stone dropping suddenly into a pond and then sinking dismally to the bottom. The Experiment dropped to all fours as he watched Nani listen to the unseen voice of disappointment. "Alright...Thank you, anyway," She concluded soberly before returning the phone to its place on the coffee table to her right. She was still in that position before her face fell into her hands, where it remained for several moments before rising again. When it did, there was a dark, sunken look that Stitch could only describe as the very definition of hopelessness. Stitch became fixated on Nani's depressing expression, wondering if he had perhaps made a similar face either when fleeing from the detonating ship on his first mission, or when he slept in the grey animal shelter on that rainy first night. Nani eventually noticed him, although it took her a few seconds to react.<br>"Hey there, Stitch," Was all she blankly said when she did. He tilted his head to one side, which Nani took as meaning confusion. "That was, uh...That was one of the places I applied for today," She explained as she stood up. "Not that they had anything worth saying…" She marched across the room, past the bizarre pet, as if she had to be somewhere urgently, but when she reached the end where she would have to turn, she halted, realizing that she wasn't actually going anywhere. Stitch observed her back curiously, seeing her head hang like gravity was tugging carefully on it. Lilo had intrigued the Experiment, but her older sister seemed like little more than additional baggage. He admitted to himself that he'd forgotten what her name was. Suddenly, she turned to look at him, with her previously sunken expression sharpening like a scythe. Stitch was not intimidated, only mystified.  
>"You know, I wouldn't even have to find another job if you hadn't screwed up my old one!" She declared furiously. "I had everything under control! I could've made Bubbles see, I could've convinced him to let me keep Lilo! It could've been easier, but no! You just had to punch him and get me fired and put me in this hopelessness!" She took a step towards the alien, but he was a stern statue. "I never did anything to you, or to Bubbles, or to that drunken idiot…" Her fury escalated and then halted, like something in the distance was distracting her. Her reddening face flushed into a striking white. Her head fell back into her hands, where it remained until her fingers dropped from her face as if they were melting. Nani looked again at Stitch, who seemed to be an observer of her frustration rather than a target.<br>"Not like you understood any of that…" The older sister muttered, her hands back at her sides but her head still hanging, much like the expression upon it. Stitch hesitated, but shook his head in response. Nani might've been surprised had she not been feeling like she had been beaten nearly to death.  
>"Well, then…" She took a deep breath, as if it would help to repair her mood. "I got you so Lilo would have a friend...Can you do one small thing for me...For both of us...Can you be my friend, too? Please?" This request surprised Stitch. He had been anticipating 'Die' or 'Go fuck yourself' or perhaps something bleaker. He considered the question, for so long that Nani ultimately lost patience and ascended glumly up the stairs. The Experiment was left alone in the dark living room, still unsure of what answer to give.<p>

He recalled very few times that he heard a tone as powerful as that which Nani had used, though the majority of them were from 621 and 300. He remembered one moment in particular, not long after his second mission, when the marksman introduced him to Pig. She scowled at anyone she noticed, and Stitch had been no exception. One of Pig's long, L-shaped ears was halved by a bite mark, and one eye obscured behind a red and black sphere. Many teeth absent, her left arm like a corpse attached to her at the shoulder, and her left foot awkwardly on its toes when she stood, as though it were paralyzed there. Stitch had done what 621 asked and began contributing to the sickly yellow Experiment's injuries, thinking the task redundant until he remembered the tale of the marksman discovering Pig and 502 front-to-back in a cupboard, then he couldn't help but smirk as he struck. Then his fist was caught, and the pig's scowl worsened, revealing gums darkened and jagged with dry blood. 626's smirk was broken until the scowl was violently erased by a clawed, two-toed foot. 621, who had recommended the assault so quietly, shouted at Pig with a volume and force that he had not even used against Captain Gantu. He was interrupted occasionally only by his own continuous stomps to the abomination's head. Despite the vulgarity of the scolding, the fact that it was not targeted at Stitch had given the blue Experiment a warm feeling like a condensed version of what he felt when burning the Federation's flag. Now, being on the receiving end of such exclamations, he felt not warmth but weight, like he was falling into an abyss, but without the fear of hitting the bottom, for there wasn't one. There was only the defeated sensation of falling. Finally, he decided that the most effective way to stop falling was to climb. He went slowly up the stairs and knew that Nani's room was to the left, but he looked right at Lilo's room automatically, where he found the older sister standing outside the door, peering in, not observing but simply looking. As he approached the human that had made him fall, he recalled the many random occasions where Lilo had hugged him purely for the sake of it. He was curious as to how it had begun to feel so comforting, and he supposed he would find out. Nani did not notice the short blue creature until he was right next to her, hugging her around her legs. He looked up at her and smiled as warmly as he could muster, and he figured that it was enough when Nani knelt down to pet his head gently.

"It's alright. I won't stay mad at you," She told him quietly, as Lilo was still dreaming. "Life just can't be easy. I just didn't know it could get this hard so fast…" She stopped petting him, but he still smiled, and his long ears dropped behind his head like holstered pistols. "I can only imagine how hard it was for you…" She pulled him into a hug much softer and less tight than those he had received from Lilo, though he found it just as unexpected. As he reciprocated, he wondered if there was ever an instance where he had anticipated a hug, from Lilo, 624, 345, or anyone. Perhaps I'm just no good at predicting them, he thought. "I was thinking I could you two surfing tomorrow," Nani began as she pulled away. "I wanted to see for a job as a lifeguard, anyway." She received a friendly nod in response. "Great. Now to bed with you…" She gave him a careful nudge on the back as she stood back up, indicating that he should return to the bedroom.

Stitch did as he was asked as he and Nani went in opposite directions. He felt relieved that the falling sensation had vanished, being replaced by a warmth even more soothing than when he listened to 621 berate Pig. They felt similar and yet were completely different. Was there a single term for the warmth or did each version have its own name? He re-entered the bed feeling more befuddled than he had when he left it. His body longed for rest but his brain fought against it vigorously, enjoying the endless pondering in the same way that he enjoyed battling the Federation's soldiers; tiring and endless, and yet he yearned for more. As he sat at the foot of Lilo's bed, his fluttering eyes turned away from the quiescent girl and to her bedside table, where the photo of the much younger sisters on the shoulders and in the arms of two disturbingly absent individuals. Two dear friends, gone before he even arrived. That was familiar. His eyelids dropped, and so did he.

**X**

"Where is Pudge, Lilo?" Stitch inquired as he followed the girl down the stone-dotted pathway of dirt beside her house. His growling stomach answered him before Lilo did. he wished his new friend had thought to take in breakfast before heading out so early. He noticed some board-like object against a lonely palm tree, shielded by bushes to the left, but he did not care.

"He's at the end of this trail," Lilo responded cheerfully as she lead the way. She grasped a peanut butter sandwich tightly in her left hand. Stitch was just happy that she had not brought any egg-stuffed dolls. The end of the trail was like a sandy protrusion from the land, obscured between the vastness of the sea and a thick row of bushes on the shore. Nobody would find this place again unless they were looking for it, Stitch thought.

"Where is Pudge?" He repeated his earlier question when he saw that they were alone.

"Let's see..." The girl got on both knees, planted her hands firmly in the sand, and dunked her head into the water, creating a explosive splash that interrupted the cadenced flow of the sea. "Yup, he's here. Come see." She gestured merrily for him to do as she had done, as if there were nothing bizarre about it whatsoever. He was hesitant, yet he ultimately repeated Lilo and dunked his head into the water. When he opened his eyes, he thought he was peeking at an alternate reality under the planet's surface, like a deep blue reiteration of Hell. The sand from the surface stretched along the subterannean wasteland, seeming infinite with the greatest change being its increasing depth. It brought Stitch back to his nightmare two nights ago, battling the enlarged Scrump on the endless landscape, half water and half sand. He felt like he should pull his head from the underwater realm, but he was convinced that he would want to look again immediately, not because he found it beautiful, but because it was different, almost haunting, in every way from both space and the planet he was stranded on. It wasn't long before some unusual creature of bright yellow and deep purple, no more than a flat head with fins, approached him and pecked his nose with its eternally-frowning lips. He was surprised when he did not think to lash out at the aquatic creature like he had at Mertle, Cobra, Nani's former boss, and several others before. His stomach, however, once again voiced its outrage. The Experiment pulled his head from the water, and was surprised to find himself straining to resurface, as though the liquid had tried to pull him in further. When he was graced with the planet's warm sun again, he looked back down at the water, not seeing the purple-and-yellow fish poking its head out to see Lilo, but at the first substance in the universe to make him afraid.

"Where is Pudge?" Stitch repeated once more.

"Didn't you see him?" Lilo asked merrily, pulling her sopping hair from her face like heavy, black curtains. "Here." She handed him the peanut butter sandwich she had broguth, and his impatient stomach leaped before it was dragged back down with some crushing news. "You can give him his offering."

"Offering?" Stitch thought he might still be asleep and dreaming; did this girl worship the fish?

"Yeah, just put it in the water and Pudge will make sure that it doesn't rain," The girl explained further, as though it would make her dog less confused. Stitch imagined that stuffing the offering into his own face instead of Pudge's would be infinitely more productive, even if such a sight would irritate Lilo. He nearly did eat the sandwich, but the girl's beaming face was like the watchful gaze on an unforgiving God, and so he dropped the food into the water. The weather-manipulating fish seized it in its frowning mouth almost instantaneously. Now Stitch missed the sandwich nearly as much as he missed 624.

"There we go," Lilo chirped, petting the Experiment's furry head, though he did not react, not so much as a smile. "Now we'll have more sunshine." She added before glancing quickly over her shoulder. "Hey, Stitch, can you wait here a second?" The girl requested softly. Stitch nodded in response, giving her only a sideways glance. These days, his brain felt too large to fit inside his skull, but he forced himself to appear unaffected, just as he had once struggled to not appear smitten by a certain pink-furred comrade. "Great. Just a second, I promise," Lilo spoke as if there was a likelihood that she would be veered miles away from whatever destination she had in mind, and then she left through the bushes. Stitch could not guess where she be going for 'a second', but he supposed that he would discover soon. He only hoped that it was not back to the house to retrieve her malicious homemade doll. He glanced back down at the water, seeing Pudge the supposed weather God gnawing bit by bit at his offering. Stitch's stomach roared at him once more, making him realize the golden opportunity in front of him. The unforgiving God's watchful gaze had turned away from him for the time being. He looked once more at Pudge and his sandwich, and finally noticed just how meat-like the fish appeared. He checked over his shoulder once before his hand shot into the water like a silenced bullet.

"Hey, Stitch," Lilo sounded much mellower than she did when she had left. Stitch would be lying, however, if he said that she sounded sad, but he would not be telling the truth, either. He swallowed the water in his mouth as quickly and silently as he could. His army of teeth were strong enough to chew the bones with ease; he was thankful that he would not have to hide anything incriminating. The sandwich was soggy, but the rest of Stitch's breakfast was soft and sweet, aside from the bland crunchiness of the bones. It was better than nothing, he thought. The water had been part of an attempt to clear any other evidence away from his teeth. He hoped that it had been successful as he turned to the young girl. She said nothing accusing. She only knelt next to him and watched the water. "Hm. I guess Pudge needed to hurry somewhere today," Lilo stated without a hint of concern, surprise, or disappointment. Stitch resisted the urge to exhale with relief."Hey, Stitch, can I show you something,"

"Sure," He answered curtly. She took him gently by the hand and led him back out through the bushes. She lead him to a place closer to the slope leading to the house from which they came, and the Experiment was surprised to find himself in front of the lonely board tied against a palm tree. Upon it, he now noticed, was an inscription, carefully painted in melancholy black letters; _Lei and Akela Pelekai._ Beneath it added _The Best Anyone Could Ask For._ Curious, Stitch stepped forward, somehow feeling that the colorful board's true purpose was not to be written on and tied to a lonely tree.

"Careful," Lilo advised firmly, but she grasped him gently by the shoulder. "Their box is under there," She added without first considering the best choice of words. The terrorist looked back at her, now even more curious than he was made by the melancholy board. "...It's a...Really small box..." More curious still.

"Whose box?" He inquired. "Why buried? Why board? Who are Lei and-"  
>"That's Mom and Dad..." The girl was quick to answer, more to let it out than to stop the flow of questions. It was effective in more ways than one.<br>"Mom...Dad..." Stitch repeated, becoming fixated not on the board, but in the empty space of sand in front of it, as though something should be there. Something should be there.  
>"Since you're part of our Ohana now, I thought you should know about them,"<br>"Ohana...Nobody left behind..." He recalled the words she had spoken the night of his first day with her.  
>"That's right," Lilo replied warmly. "Sometimes I come out here and talk to them. You can talk with them, too, if you want." This suggestion was particularly intriguing to Stitch, even more so than anything else that the girl had presented to him. He had never known any of his comrades to 'talk' to 501 and 502. If the Rebellion thought him dead, did they talk to him?<br>"Yes..." He responded stolidly. "Stitch want to talk with Mom and Dad,"  
>"Well, alrighty, then," She said, trying to lighten the mood. She felt like the attempt had been in vain. She sat on her knees and Stitch followed her, sitting cross-legged on the sand, which was like a warm blanket draped across the mattress that was the Earth.<p>

"Hey, guys," Lilo began the conversation. Stitch was surprised by the chill that shot up his spine at the responding silence. "I brought Stitch with me, today." She nodded to the Experiment, who hesitated in his salutation.

"H-Hello...Lei...Hello, A-Akela..." Nobody would respond, but he felt as though everybody in the universe had heard him.

"Hope you guys are doing alright," Lilo continued to the glum surfboard. "Things here are a little better. There's this nosy guy called Bubbles who's telling Nani to do stuff. I don't know what he wants. All he's doing is making things a lot harder for everyone," She stopped for a moment. Stitch noticed that her smile was still present, but it had been condensed. "I just don't understand why people put so much effort into making other people miserable." She paused again. Stitch thought of the foot of a certain green-furred marksman pressing into the wounded shoulder of Captain Gantu. 'Thank you, you wonderful, pretentious, hideous retard', the gruff and malicious voice declared in the terrorist's head.  
>"Thanks again for sending Stitch..." Lilo's next statement pulled Stitch from his trance. He was befuddled; it was 627 who was responsible for his marooning. The idea that some invisible entity had orchestrated the event made Stitch feel even chillier.<br>"I taught him how to dance and he showed me how to do fractions. He helped me realize that Scrump was mean, and he even scared Mertle away. He's just awesome. I don't think you guys could've sent a better friend." Stitch looked up at her as she spoke, but then felt as if his gaze was dragged back to the sand that obscured the undersized box.  
>"He came with me to give up an offering to the All-Powerful Pudge, so there won't be any more rain." Why would Lei and Akela care if it rained or not, Stitch pondered. Then he figured, just as he was with his Rebellion at the start of one day and separate at its close, had a similar day for Lilo, Nani, Akela, and Lei been a rainy one?<p>

Lilo continued speaking, but they were not the only words that attacked Stitch's mind. He remembered the stranded revolutionary, miles away from his faithful rebellion. He needed someone foolish and unquestioning enough to grant him safety until he could return to his comrades. He was rude, he was angry, and he was a hindrance, and still the girl would hug him for no reason at all. Even 624 had been more resistant of the urge to caress his silky fur. He had thought the girl stupid, and she thanked him for his tutoring. He taught her to frighten, and she taught him to dance. He left her alone to attempt repair of a hopeless escape, and she played with him the next morning. Now he sat with his legs crossed and the delicious weather controller lay scattered in his stomach, listening to Lilo and her parents talking about him, praising him for his many deeds. Two dear friends, lost before he even arrived. That was familiar. The war in his brain hurt. He thought it was making him bleed, but when he blinked, he did not see blood, but water. His mouth trembled, and although the thoughts of 626 and those of Stitch still crossed swords, the Experiment had stopped thinking. The swords were too painful.

"Stitch?" He felt something warm on his shoulder as he heard Lilo's words swerve slowly off their course. He looked left, seeing the girl, more concerned than he had ever seen her. "What's wrong?" His throat wanted to create words, but his exhausted brain had none to give, and his unbalanced jaw refused to open. Lilo looked again into the Experiment's black eyes, and found that the rebellious hellfire that had petrified her before was now being doused by a light rain. She had not seen it rain in ages. Just a few seconds of watching the flames become smoke rising from the water, and Lilo, too, began to rain.  
>"It's okay, Stitch," Her voice shattered like glass. The two of them were airtight in each other's arms without a moment of thought, as though they were brought together by magnets. "It's okay." There were knives within them both, maliciously carving their way out. As they embraced, they sewed up the cuts made by the outraged knives. Stitch remembered standing atop the Federation museum, his allies beside him, panicking morons beneath them, and orange eating black-and-white above their heads. He had once longed to see that orange above the entirety of the Rebellion's heads for the quadrant's collective idiocy to see. Only in the present second, as he cried in the arms of the girl who mystified and enraged and delighted him, did he realize that the image of Scrump's skull of eggs being flattened bit at his lust more than any shade of orange.<br>"I love you, Stitch..." As he thought of smashed eggs, he heard Lilo repeat what she had told him the previous evening. His response then had not been completely sincere, but his new response, which he did not hesitate in making, was truer than anything he'd ever said or done in his short life.

"Stitch loves you, too,"

**XI**

Both Stitch and Lilo's eyes were stale with dried tears by the time they had set off for the beach. The girl's illuminating smile had returned, although the terrorist's face was longer than it had ever been. Not even Lilo, changed into a red-and-yellow striped swimsuit, gently stroking the fur on his head as they walked could bring the Experiment's smile.

"Did Stitch have another nightmare?" Nani, carrying a scarlet surfboard and wearing a sky blue swimsuit of her own, asked as if nothing was truly wrong.

"No...Well, maybe. He didn't say." Lilo's hand left the silken, blue fur as she whispered to her sister. Stitch did not notice. "I showed him Mom and Dad," She told Nani quietly.

"Oh..." The older sister whispered in enlightenment before resting a hand on Lilo's shoulder. "That's good,"  
>"No, it's not good. I've made him depressed,"<br>"Well, what did you think would happen?" Nani asked her question like a friendly joke.  
>"...I didn't think he'd be <em>that <em>sad...I've never seen him sad," Lilo looked back at the alien, following them closely and yet looking lost beyond recovery. "It makes me sad, too,"  
>"Then it's a good thing we're coming out here today," Nani responded, maintaining a smile while her sister's seemed irretrievable. "Because there's no better cure for a sour face than catching a few waves, right?" Lilo looked up as a small fraction a grin appeared on her face.<br>"I thought you needed to find a new job," She inquired.  
>"I'm gonna see about lifeguard duty on the beach,"<br>"Oh, cool. You're really good at sitting in a chair and shouting at people." Nani did not want to echo her sister's chuckle, but she could not resist.  
>"I learn from the best," The elder sister retorted jokingly. Lilo laughed once more, and then turned back to find Stitch lagging behind them, his mouth still hanging like a noose. "C'mon, slowpoke." The girl turned around and picked him up in an airtight hug before setting him down in front of her, so they all walked at the same speed. Stitch had been surprised, but his face was still the polar opposite of a smile. He wanted to return to his Rebellion, but the lonely surfboard and the diminutive box were printed in ink upon his mind.<p>

It wasn't until they were on the water that Stitch thought of something besides Lei and 502. The respective thoughts of the two couples had become amalgamated during the war in his brain. The board, the alien thought, was like a barrier that defended him, Nani, in front of him, and Lilo, in front of her, from the ominous and infinite darkness that waited all around them. Stitch felt like he was surrounded by an army of 627s; not completely frightened, but rather tormented by their lingering, anxious for their eventual pounce. He remembered, with repentance, dipping his head into the water to see Pudge, and how something invisible seemed to be pulling on him. Had that been the same invisible force that might have manipulated 627 to send him rocketing towards this bizarrely colorful planet? Was it trying to kill him, and 627, the truck that struck him after he landed, Scrump drowning him in his nightmares, and his head dunking into the water had all been failed assassination attempts? He remembered the black-and-white flag burning again, and realized now that, after having waved the flag so much and so fiercely at others, it was now being waved at him. He looked down at the water, seeing the other world that lay beneath it. It called out to him, suggesting that he reach a clawed hand in and caress its cool atmosphere, but the terrorist was afraid that whatever he put in would be seized by the invisible force and pull him under, just as Scrump had done to him in his dream two nights ago. He was quiet for longer than he had ever been in the presence of others, even more so than when he was a newborn, waiting glumly for 621 to drive him and their allies to Gantu's hiding place. Then he felt his stomach levitate, and he realized that the surfboard itself had risen, and Nani along with it. Then it dove like a gull, down a wall of water that had crept up beneath Stitch like an aquatic predator. If the silence had not been shattered by the crashing of the waves, then it was by the scream that hopped up into Stitch's throat and exploded from his mouth. He was rocketing through space again, the wind striking his face repeatedly as the board cut across the violent water like a blade through flesh. Another attempt on his life by Lei and Akela, the Experiment thought, screaming as loudly as Lilo was laughing. This time was different, though; he could combat 627, he could survive crashing, and he could take a hit from a rushing vehicle, but if he entered the other realm beneath the water, the invisible force would drag him to the bottom and hold him there, just as Scrump had done, until he became a statue. The board was thin; clinging to its edges did not offer much reassurance to the blue Experiment. Desperate to avoid Lei and Akela's justice, he took hold of the only other thing that could be taken hold of, which was Nani's ankle. Stitch's hand grasped it on its own accord, and it took him a second to realize his action. Looking up, he saw the oldest sister looking down at him with a look of shock and discontent, but her face quickly shifted into a smile as she faced forward again. The Experiment noticed how content both girls seemed in circumstances that he found deadly, and how Nani, her hand cutting through the monstrous wall of water, kept herself upright so effortlessly, even with Stitch gripping her foot.

If these two are laughing in the face of death, Stitch thought, then what am I doing? He looked to his own feet, remembering his very first mission, where 624 had explained to him the Experiments' adhesive hand and foot pads. Releasing Nani's leg, he stood up, feeling his pads stick to the board. Their grip felt loose, yet reassured Stitch that they would not allow him to tumble into the trap that awaited him beneath the water. He held his arms out sideways like a scarecrow as he sidestepped carefully beneath Nani's legs and beside Lilo.

"Hey, Stitch!" The girl cheered when she saw him. She was on her knees, grasping the front of the board, not unlike he had done before his courage returned to him, only she was laughing, as if it were how she breathed.

"Hey, Lilo!" The alien exclaimed in response, his scream slowly regenerating into an imitation of Lilo's cackling.

"You having fun?!" He pondered the question for a few seconds, but when he decided on his answer, he was laughed at the idea of having to consider such a simple question.

"Yes!" He laughed even louder than he had screamed. "Stitch is having so much fun!" He took Lilo's hand and pulled her to her feet, and both of their laughs harmonized. In his mind, there were no burning flags, no crushed eggs, but only a mirror image of what he was seeing; he and Lilo laughing as they flew over the deathly water that longed to drag him down. Stitch had smiled when he and his allies discussed their double Rebellion, he had smiled when the Federation's flag burned, and he had smiled falsely to fool Lilo in the dog shelter, but all of his preceding smiles combined were still only a fraction of the size of his present beam. The first thing he learned when Jumba took him out of his lab was that he was new, but even then, he felt as though he had some previous experiences. It was only here, as death stood so close to him and yet too far to touch him, that he felt truly new. He looked at Lilo's laughing face once more, and could not resist the urge to playfully lick her cheek. He no longer cared that his pod was a wreck, for he no longer needed it.

He heard a voice. Stitch initially thought it was just a stray thought in his head, or a whisper from Nani or Lilo, but then the voice grew louder, and his magnificent smile shattered like glass.

"Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer..."


	10. Confrontation

Chapter 8:  
>Confrontation<p>

**I**

Stitch scanned the celebrating water over and over again, searching for the undoubtedly crimson sight of the menacing voice's source. Lilo continued laughing her marvelous laugh, but the Experiment's pulse quickened in a less delicious way than it had done mere seconds ago. It wasn't long before he had distinguished the red from the abundance of blue; the sea seemed like rings as 627 was Saturn. He passed through the erratic water with a swiftness that Stitch could never have fathomed. The invisible force which had grasped the blue Experiment paid no mind to his red successor. Stitch recalled the warm feeling of being innocent while 621 shouted at and beat Pig, and now felt horrified at being the Pig to the invisible force's 621, while his foe was the innocent. Then Stitch remembered; 627 had been a servant of Lei and Akela from the beginning. It was going to take much more than laughing on a surfboard with Lilo to escape the blue death that lay everywhere.

"Sir, said I, or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore…"

The reciting haunted Stitch much more than it had at the Rebellion's base. 627 voiced the words like a machine, as though somebody was making him talk without his knowing.

"But the fact is, I was napping, and so gently you came rapping…"

The blue Experiment could not allow his foe to touch Lilo or Nani, nor did he wish for the sisters to see the furious red alien and discover his true heritage.

"So faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door…"

627 was ascending the wave now, leaving Stitch with a diminutive list of possible responses. From the list, he hastily chose to forcefully extend both arms sideways, sending Nani and Lilo hurtling into the crashing waves. He heard them both yelp before they became muffled by the boisterous splashes.

"That I scarce was sure I heard you. Here I opened wide the door…"

Stitch would've been reeling with regret at his action had he not been reeling instead with shock and fear when 627 tackled him. The terrorist clung to the surfboard with his feet. The two Experiments were in the air for only a few moments, which was enough for Stitch to strike his opponent across the face as hard as he could, sending the crimson creature hurtling like a top into the sea. The blue Experiment, dreading the inevitable splashing and sinking, took hold of the board attached to his feet with both hands, and when the towering wave finally toppled for the final time, he was relieved that the floating shield kept him from succumbing to the invisible force beneath the water. Stitch glanced around the calming sea, hoping to find the two sisters emerging from the water so he might excuse his earlier violence. He turned his head left and found nothing, and the same happened when he looked right, only he felt a hand close around his ankle. He did not panic straight away; at first, he considered it being Lilo or Nani, making sure he would be still long enough for them to join him with the surfboard. Then he remembered that neither sister's grasp was furry, clawed, or iron enough to disturb his bones. Stitch barely had time to breathe before he was separated from the kind surfboard.

The other realm was worse than what he had seen when looking at Pudge. When before it was a light blue with rocks, plants, and complexity, now it was borderline black, and the distant floor was like a wasteland that had once been a plentiful city. Stitch was not as immediately terrified on the desolate ground as he looked down, however, as he was of 627, staring up at him as he acted as an unwanted anchor. The red Experiment no longer sported the flaming glare that he had on the surface; now he seemed indifferent to the event. He did not even blink at Stitch, he only stared with unimpressed eyes, as if he was disappointed that their final battle only a tenth of the length of their first. 627 soon found himself looking down instead of up, as the invisible force began to pull more fiercely on Stitch than before. The blue revolutionary's foot was freed, and 627 watched him sink glumly to the sandy ocean floor.

Stitch could feel Akela and Lei dragging him down, and suddenly, he was no longer terrified of them. He could no longer be scared of tumbling into the terrible underwater realm, for it had already happened. The worst part was finished; all that was left was to fall asleep. For a moment, he looked forward to it. He would not have to worry if the two sisters would search for him at shore, he would not have to worry if 624 would ever find him, and he would not have to worry if Hamsterviel and Jumba were punished or if Lilo ever played with Scrump again. His war torn brain would feel like a welcoming pillow, and he would be able to relax for eternity in the blackness of the water's depths. Then he hit the sandy bottom.

He sat up, as if Lei and Akela would not even let him lie down. He immediately worried tremendously about everything he thought he would never worry about again. He rose to his feet, feeling every bit as disoriented and unnerved as when he walked on a ceiling for the first time. He took a step, and found that it was very much like taking a step on land, only gravity was more aggressive. Looking up, he found that 627, watching him and treading idly far above him, did not yet lunge at him once more. The blue Experiment was intrigued by the difference in gravity between them; was he somehow heavier than his successor?

As Stitch looked up, he also found two pairs of legs moving behind the friendly surfboard, pushing it to Stitch's east. The blue Experiment knew just where they were headed, and, knowing now that he could traverse the dark ocean floor, followed suit. As soon as he started running, 627 swam after him, albeit like one of the world's slowest torpedoes. Stitch, however, had the advantage of being weighted to the ground. As he ran as fast as the water would allow, he looked over his shoulder at the struggling red Experiment, whose anger was only increased since the waves no longer helped his speed; Stitch could help but chuckle at the irony. Hamsterviel had likely already discovered that the 626th Experiment would sink like a boulder, and decided to remedy the supposed Achilles' heel for the 627th. Despite the combined anxiety he felt at his pushing Lilo and Nani and at his would-be assassin finding him, Stitch could not help but snicker with a closed mouth at this irony.

His smile was shattered quickly when his lungs suddenly felt tightened. Without a second thought, the blue Experiment broke out into a dash, or rather, the closest substitute of a dash that the invisible force in the water would allow. Just when he felt like his lungs would burst, he tasted the air again. He stumbled onto the sand, not caring at all that people turned from their tanning or sand castles to stare at him. Oxygen had never been so delicious. Stitch savoured every lick of it, forgetting, for a moment, that 627 was still in a handicapped pursuit. Just as he thought to stand up again, a warm embrace was spontaneously around him. He did not need to look to tell that it was Lilo, but while the hug was as warm as her numerous preceding ones, he was unsure if she did it with a look of relief or of disappointment. It wasn't long before he found the older sister standing over them. Looking up, Stitch knew for sure that the expression was not of contempt, but all the same, he could feel a dreadful stabbing in his chest again.

**II**

"You alright, hun?" 221 felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, but it did not immediately distract him from his glum scanning of the stars and constellations surrounding the accelerating pod.

"I'll be fine, love," The electrician eventually responded 149, resting a hand upon hers that was on his shoulder. "Soon as we get the bastards, I'll be fine,"

"That L.E.R.O.Y.'s a real prick, huh? No pun intended,"  
>"Hm?" 221 finally turned to look at her.<br>"You know, because he scratched us all with that knockout chemical,"  
>"...I don't get it," He responded blankly.<br>"Aw, it sucks to see your sense of humor fail," 149 genuinely stated as she hugged him.  
>"I'm sorry, hun. I'm still reeling with...I'm not sure. Disappointment?"<br>"I know what ya mean. We should-a known when he came in that it was too good to be true,"  
>"Worse than that, though. It's like…" 221 drifted off for a moment.<br>"Yeah? Go on," His lover coaxed gently.  
>"...It's like with the others we've lost, but different. It's quite like 89, because we know how we lost 626, and it's not like 501 and 502, because he could still be kickin'. You know?"<br>"And then L.E.R.O.Y. comes in and makes it feel worse?"  
>"Exactly!"<p>

"He needn't wait longer for his comeuppance, 221," 300, the driver, began profoundly. "Nor does Hamsterviel or Jumba or any others at their side; we've arrived." Every Experiment peered out the windshield. The shapeshifter was lowering them onto a ship not unlike their own box-like base. The only differences apparent of its exterior were that it was black, much like the space around it, so that only one as observant as 300 might notice, and a large cannon protruding from a dome-like structure that covered the whole circumference of the roof.

"Camouflage," 621 denoted the black color scheme of Hamsterviel's base. "Very clever,"

Each Experiment had fiery butterflies ricocheting around their stomach as they stepped onto the vessel's roof. With the darkness surrounding them, they felt like children laying awake in bed, anxiously awaiting their birthday in the morning. They had all dreamed about this moment, and now that it was within their grasp, they were anxious to reach out for it. Every second that they were not confronting their designer was a year of torture. The only exception was 10, who was forcing his sweating hands into fists. He, too, was excited, but less for a birthday and more for the sudden, nauseating drop of an ascending rollercoaster. The medic had accepted that he would have to deal out some punishment; what agitated him was how much his comrades might expect him to deal out.

"He even put an oxygen field around it," 621 muttered with sinister glee as the Rebellion stealthily crawled down the base's wall. They came to a door which was pulled open all too voluntarily by a strangely silent 624. There was nothing inside the compressed round room but a grey pod and another door. The Experiments continued, finding the next round room to be a dozen times larger than the tiny docking bay that preceded it. The floor was like a rim surrounding a lower level that was like a giant pit, which was accessible through stairs that curved from the room's far side. The Experiments could not immediately see what was in the pit as they entered, partly due to the guard rails that bordered it. Looking ahead, they found a huge, curved screen that came with a keyboard only a third of its size. Next to the console, there was a short wall, bolted to which was a small arsenal of black-and-white blasters of all sizes, not unlike what the Federation's military used. The most peculiar weapon was a pair of metallic gloves that seemed like smaller versions of 150's substitute hand. What riveted the Experiments most, however, was the white-furred, rabbit-esque creature that stood between the two machines. He was about as tall as one-and-a-half Experiments, and his gloves, boots, and shirt were as black as ashes, while his coat and eyes were sanguine. His left hand pushed past his crimson coat to enter his pocket, and his right hand held a yellow plasma rifle on his shoulder. He was like a statue, awaiting his adversaries with a malevolent smirk on his face.

"Hello," Hamsterviel greeted them furtively. He had a strong German accent that may have sounded pleasing long ago, but was now like an insidious serpent that hissed in each Experiment's ear. 621 did not hesitate; he drew his own gun and fired straight for his parent's stomach. Tensing into a less relaxed stance, Hamsterviel shot the bolt with a sickly green projectile from his own weapon, destroying both bullets in midair. "Come, now, 621," The crimson-coated scientist began slyly. "Is that any way to greet your father?"

"You're no father of ours," The marksman retorted through gritted teeth. His previous glee had been substituted with a throbbing irritation since his attack had been countered.

"No, I suppose not. At least, not to you," Hamsterviel lowered his weapon. "I'm excited to have you all here, I truly am. I was quite disappointed when I heard about your so-called double-rebellion,"

"I still like rebellion-ception better," 345 whispered.

"Many of your were valuable assets," The suave scientist continued. "300, your shape-shifting abilities were invaluable in the assassination of General Egregious, and 150, your substitute hand has been very helpful recently with a new project of mine and Jumba's. Nonetheless, I can always make L.E.R.O.Y.s of you, as I did of the late 626-"

"Is this going anywhere?" 624 coldly interjected when 626's name followed the word 'late.' "Because I'm gonna come over there and break your spine over my knee-"

"All in good time, 624," Hamsterviel responded with an interruption of his own. "I want to talk to you, and for once, that is not a lie." He saw 621 raise his gun again, joined by 221's electrified hands and 150's hand in cannon form. "Now, now, don't be hasty. If you must know, I have something that I think will take to your interests." The scientist lowered an ebony glove directly downward over the railing, attracting the Experiments' vengeful gaze. To their surprise, they found another Experiment sitting on the floor of the centre pit and leaning against the wall. She had sallow fur, and her ears curved like two inverted letter 'V's, but the right one had a jaw-shaped gap in it. Her claws were the same shade of black as Hamsterviel's gloves. Her left foot leaned further to its outer side than her right, as if something were forcing it flat on the floor, while the other stopped at a forty-five degree angle. Her hanging jaw revealed the absence of several teeth, and her left eye was nearly invisible behind the hideous, scarlet and black spheres that surrounded them. The first thought that zipped through the Experiments' minds was that it was Pig, and the second was that she was as stiff as a statue. Then they noticed a gaping hole on either side of Pig's head, each topping the dry, crusty ghost of a crimson waterfall. Their eyes widened in shock before narrowing in resentment, except for 621 and 300, whose eyes simply narrowed. "You denied her any medical attention after her...Violation of 502," Hamsterviel continued. "Well, good job, because her eye got infected as a result," He said entirely without malice, as if he was glad of Pig's demise. "I saw no point in keeping her with the other Experiments if they all despised her, and I similarly thought it pointless to waste perfectly good medical supplies on this Experiment you destroyed, 621,"

"This supposed to scare us?" The marksman retorted, unimpressed. "She deserved that! I only wish I was there to see her face when you put the gun to her head."

"I realize you hated her, but you should know how easy it was to pull the trigger. And believe me, it will not be difficult to do the same to any of you," Hamsterviel held up his rifle. "I was a lieutenant in the Federation's military, and I was very, very good with a blaster. As good as you, 621. Come on, let's talk, just for a little while. What have you to lose?"

"Talk about what?" 221 inquired irritably, twisting sparks between his fingers.

"I'm curious," The creator hesitated in making his question. "I've made you all angry, and you hate me for it. Perhaps you even hate me more than you hate the Galactic Federation; enough that you want to kill me, torture me, make my final moments worse than my ultimate death. I know what it's like to hate someone that much, trust me, I do. I know what it feels like to be so far away from someone when you want nothing more than to feel their neck in your grasp. I don't know what it feels like to finally confront that person. You hate me, but I do not hate you. You betrayed my revolution, yes, but I've known others to do much worse, and I confess, I would have done no different were our roles reversed. I cannot feel whatever it is you are all feeling. I just want to know, now that he who has wronged you and angered is here with you...What do you have to say to him?"

The Experiments were surprised by this. Was he trying to lower their guards? If so, it was ineffective. Despite everyone's hesitation, 300 was the first to amuse his designer. "Why hide your existence from us?" He questioned stolidly.

"You ask me why…" Hamsterviel whispered, as if intrigued by the inquiry. "You must have all deduced that you would not be governing alongside Jumba, as he lead you to believe," The scientist continued at a higher volume. "It was my intention from the beginning that I would be responsible for government after the so-called Grand Councilwoman was indisposed," He spoke the name with a malicious snarl. "Remember I said I would do the same as you if our roles were changed? Would you fight and kill so that somebody else could rule? You'd be more motivated and, most importantly, obedient if you believed you were doing it for yourselves and each other. Plus, I believed you would take more kindly to the benevolent Jumba as a leader, and you did, initially, at least. Additionally, it is difficult to be suspicious of somebody who you don't know exists, wouldn't you agree?" He seemed impressed with his own explanation.

"Hm, how clever," 300 responded, giving a faint smile. His comrades' faces, though, were unmoved.

"You seem disappointed…" Hamsterviel whispered again. "Was the answer too rational?"

"Tell me…" 621 began sharply, resisting the urge to fire at his designer's head. "Why did you have 501 and 502 designed the way you did?"

"501 and 502…" The scientist muttered stolidly, like the names were nothing more than random numbers. His sinister face became suddenly mellow and casual, and it made 621's heart combust. "The suicide bombers? I wanted suicide bombers, so I made some; simple." He gazed statically into 621's hellish glare, which distracted the revolution's founder from the bullet of slimy saliva that struck his forehead. "You know, just because they meant something to you…" Hamsterviel snarled as he wiped the spit off with his glove, shaking it swiftly off afterwards, "Doesn't mean they mattered at all to me,"

The furious marksman wished he had 345's elastic function, so he could simply reach across the room and tear the head clean off the cause of his anguish. "I know," He growled. "And just because you don't care doesn't mean you'll be excused from your punishment." He took one blaster in each three-fingered hand and fired four bolts at the scarlet-clad scientist. As before, each projectile was shot down by Hamsterviel, who now held his weapon in both three-fingered hands and was on one knee.

"Touche, 621," He grumbled, reaching into his coat. "Pepin!" He declared seemingly to the air, taking a grey, mask-like thing dotted with three circular filters from his coat. All the Experiments were befuddled, and 10 and 624 were surprised at the objects that dropped onto their heads. As the cylindrical objects fell at the Experiments' feet, they quickly realized what they were and held their breath as each cylinder emitted a translucent gas from either end, although there was no noticeable scent. The Rebellion looked up, finding the unfortunately familiar scarlet and brownish-yellow sights of L.E.R.O.Y. and 625, both sporting a masks like the one their designer now put on. 345, like his allies, held his breath, frantically scanning the toxic room for inspiration for a counterattack. His eyes soon fell upon the console and screen near Hamsterviel.

'He even put an oxygen field around it.' The clown recalled 621's words as they entered the vessel. An idea pierced his head like a sharpened arrow. It would be a dangerous and desperate stratagem, but 345 could see few other methods for banishing the gas. His legs extending to increase his speed, the clown swiftly found himself in front of the oversized computer. He kept his breath imprisoned. As the clown worked, 221 shot bolts of electricity at 625 and L.E.R.O.Y., ultimately sending them both plummeting to the floor. 149 and 621 respectively took on the red and yellow lackies, reaching past their blocking arms at their gas masks to little success.

345 looked over his shoulder once he arrived at the computer, seeing the masked Hamsterviel aim his rifle at him. The clown was quick to send an elongated leg to kick the firearm from his co-creator's hand. Hamsterviel was then surprised and infuriated to be seeing nothing but the bottom of 345's foot.

"Get off, you childish dummkopf!" The scientist's voice angrily echoed from beneath the mask, prying at the rubbery foot that obstructed his vision.

The clown nearly opened his mouth to say, "Nuh-uh-uh, Jacques. You're stuck with that!" He remembered the gas that was ready to dive into his lungs, though, and kept his breath in. With the blinded Hamsterviel wrestling with his creation's foot, 345's hands were free to enact his unorthodox plan through the computer. Defenses. Oxygen field. Disable. The clown was thankful for the diminutive length of the procedure. He looked over his left shoulder; he abhorred the feeling of Hamsterviel's frigid gloves squishing and pulling at his ankle, but could not help but grin at his enemy's helplessness. He looked over his right shoulder; L.E.R.O.Y. and 625 maneuvered over and around their foes, the latter Experiment doing so much less gracefully and acrobatically than his scarlet partner. Now or never, 345 thought, his bright beam contradicting his panicking heart.

"Everybody hold on to something!" He exclaimed in a very high-pitched voice that required little breath. Any temptation to laugh at the squeaky demand lasted only a second, and then 624, 150, 300, and 10 had an airtight grip on the railing, while 621, with his lower hands, had L.E.R.O.Y. and 625 unkindly by the backs of their necks. 345 pushed a final button, and the doors the Rebellion had entered through opened like a furious whirlpool in a malevolent storm, and everyone suddenly could fly. 624's secondary arms emerged to grasp 621's primary ones, while 149 took hold of 10's ankle and 221 levitated. The medic looked over his shoulder after feeling the weight on his foot. The smaller Experiment simply nodded at 10 with a concerned but optimistic expression, while the trunked one tried and failed to do the same in response. His pulse rocketed as his fingers tightened around the railing, praying that the glue-like feeling between his palms and the metal would maintain.

345 had his arms firmly around the console like a rope, and his leg had returned to its original length, albeit with Hamsterviel still in tow, much less enthusiastic to part with the limb now than he had been before the storm began. The clown kept a careful watch on his allies below, both to see if any of them would require his interference, and to ensure that every speck of the translucent gas abandoned the camouflaged vessel. He was indifferent to Hamsterviel's vise-like grasp on his foot; the scientist would not harm what kept him safe from the blackness outside.

In the midst of the struggle, 221 saw Pig's corpse, flying as clumsily as a discarded newspaper, hit the wall beside death's door, and the electrician was distracted just long enough to lose his duel against the deadly wind. Just as he began to fall, however, a swift metal hand caught him by the arm. Both 150 and 221's hearts were in their throats for a dreadful split second, but they exchanged grateful smiles when they felt confidently secured. As the handicapped Experiment gazed into the smiling, golden face, the cogs in the clockwork of his brain turned in an unusual way. The smile on the cocky electrician's face always brought a brighter smile to another Experiment's face. That smile was something 150 loved much more than he could love the revolution, yet nothing he could do could create that smile the way 221 could. It occurred to the him then, as his flesh hand gripped metal and his metal hand gripped flesh, that he was holding the reason for his suffering in his substitute hand. 150 looked left; after 300, 624, 621, and Hamsterviel's two lackies dangling by the backs of their necks, he found 149, clutching 10's foot and looking confident that the Rebellion would survive in its entirety. Were his heart not already racing at the predicament he found himself in, it would've been started by her smiling in the face of death. He wished he could smile similarly. 150 looked back down at the golden Experiment, who still smiled at him with gratitude, ignorant of the resentment that slithered within his savior's head.

Without 221 here, the huge Experiment thought, 149 would grieve, like 624 when we lost 626. She'd need someone to make her smile again. Who better than me? It would be the simplest thing he'd ever do. She would practically run into his arms. He could already feel her silky fur on his one genuine hand, and suddenly the hammering wind was barely a breeze. He considered it for only a second longer, thinking about how easy it would ultimately be to release his pain. And it was. His cold, metal fingers opened like he was dropping sand through his fingers. The electrician's smile was finally broken, and he descended as easily as Pig's corpse had. 150's pulse quickened, but now for excitement instead of fear. At last, he would make 149 smile. His mouth begged to be moved into a grin, but he did not want the deed to appear intentional. Just as the temptation of beaming became too great, an elongated, rubbery arm appeared and twirled around 221, just before the electrician could enter the suffocating darkness. Then, all at once, the door slammed shut, everyone fell flat on the hard floor, and 150's heart clenched like a fist.

"Not the best time for butterfingers, mate," 221 scolded his former rescuer. His hands emitting thin, levitating, electric streams, the electrician took to the skies once more as 345's arm returned to its owner like retracting measuring tape. 150 has to repress the urge to use the cannon setting of his metal hand to shoot 221's head off. His burning brain did not even consider that he had done anything repentful. It was only when he heard a revolting snap and a blood-curdling cry of anguish that the huge Experiment felt like a blade was in his gut. Leaping to his feet, he turned left to find that 621 had seized the opportunity to grab the disoriented L.E.R.O.Y.'s leg and push it too far forwards.

"Some good that knockout chemical did you this time," The marksman spat at his grunting victim. 625, removing his gas mask, attempted to attack the four-armed Experiment from behind, but found his legs swept out from beneath by 624. The pink Experiment placed a foot on the traitor's back and took both of his arms, pulling until she heard a crack and a cry just as 621 had.

"Should've done this to you ages ago, 625," She taunted him coldly. "And you scream like a bitch,"

"Get the fuck off!" 625 begged furiously as tears darted down his cheeks. 624, 621, and 150 then abandoned their contempt temporarily to follow their comrades to Hamsterviel's side of the room. 10 stopped when he found 345 hopping sadly on one leg, as his other had been tied into an uncomfortable-looking knot.

"Was that really the best way to get rid of that gas, 345?!" The medic exclaimed as he split from the group to undo the knot in his ally's leg as quickly as he could.

"Yup," The clown answered curtly. 10 opened his mouth to respond, but quickly shut it. The rest of the Rebellion found Hamsterviel, putting on the two metallic gloves they had seen on the wall of weapons when they first entered.

"I can be more than just a man with a gun," The scientist snarled at his creations. The gloves emitted a boisterous whirr as he made them into fists. "I can empower myself just the same as Jumba and I empowered all of you." He anticipated a bolt of electricity from the airborne 221 and sidestepped swiftly out of its path. The very next thing Hamsterviel faced was 621 over the barrel of a blaster, which he was quick to crush within his newly metallic grasp. He followed up by bringing his other fist upwards into the marksman's elbow. 621 muffled his yelp through barred teeth before landing a roundhouse kick across his designer's face. Hamsterviel, spitting blood, was still able to catch 624's foot during her sidekick, although a backflip kick to his chin quickly changed that. After rising from his back, Hamsterviel found himself faced with three oncoming dangers; 621's fist, 624's two antennae, and 300 looming over him like a nightmarish wave. The scientist blocked the fist and caught the antennae, but was only barely able to hop backwards to dodge the shapeshifter.

"You fare better against us alone than any army under the Federation," 300 complimented sternly.

"Unlike their armies, I'm not blinded by fear," Hamsterviel replied, scowling as he struggled to keep hold of 624's violently squirming antennae. "There are far worse things in this galaxy,"

"Do you?" Faster than even Hamsterviel could anticipate, one of the telepath's frigid hands grasped his co-creator by the head. "Enlighten me." 300 could've crushed Hamsterviel's head in his hand right there, but he knew that it would be merciful. Instead, he flipped through the numerous pages of the scientist's mind; every invention and each deception was detailed in its own chapter. Finally, he fell upon one that was far too fascinating not to read aloud. He thrust the bloodied page into Hamsterviel's face, emphasizing each line of horrific text. The shapeshifter could feel the face growing moist in his hand. He finally came to a quote, and could not help but utter it himself, in a voice like the most deathly terrified child's. "Daddy!"

"GET OFF ME, YOU GODDAMN PARASITE!" The scientist exclaimed in a fury that rivaled 627's, striking 300's outstretched arm repeatedly. The shapeshifter barely acknowledged his own physical pain; what he felt in his creator was far more delectable. 300 dropped his victim to the floor, where 621 grabbed Hamsterviel's arm and snapped it just as what had been done to him seconds before.

"That is for 501, 502, 89, and every one of us that you tormented behind your assistant!" The shapeshifter snarled at his petrified opponent. As their co-creator shouted in pain, 621 and 624 stripped him of his mechanical gloves and discarded them like litter. Hamsterviel attempted to get up again, but his pink creation stomped on his back. 621 was about to kneel down to his designer, but then he noticed 10 eyeing his limp right arm.

"Later, 10," The marksman commanded. The medic backed away with a short jolt. "Now, then…" 621 knelt down and raised Hamsterviel's face unkindly by his long ears using his upper left hand. "We'd very much like to visit our other parent,"

"Wouldn't you, now?" The scientist muttered angrily, blinking tears away from his eyes as he looked his creation right in his inferno-like eyes. He did not regret his disrespect, even when 624 picked up his left hand and pulled on the middle one of his three fingers until it cracked like a wishbone. He screamed again, but his heart was still at his opponents. He knew that the physical pain would eventually cease. Regardless, he saw no purpose in breaking more of his fingers. "Fine, fine! I'll lead you to him!" He clenched his teeth so his voice would not rise indignantly in his temporary agony.

"Thank you, 624," 621 said sinisterly as he and his resolute comrade exchanged friendly smiles. "Some of you go back and get L.E.R.O.Y. and 625; make sure they can't stand up," He ordered firmly as he pulled the scientist to his feet and pushed him forward, pointing a blaster at his back with one of his three intact arms. "And please don't attempt another counterattack; your punishment will come at our convenience, not yours,"

"I know; I wouldn't combat you without weapons, dummkopf," Hamsterviel growled.

621 felt a tap on his shoulder before he heard 624 whispering to him. "Can I break his jaw later?" She inquired like a child anxious for a previously promised treat.

"624…" The marksman turned to her and smiled with sadistic delight. "You'll all be able to do whatever you want to him,"

**III**

As the Experiments followed their powerless creator down the tall, chilly hallway, 150 carried a practically armless 625 by his head with his metal hand. He would have been irritated by the traitor's moaning at his dislocated shoulders, were it not for the more painful sight in front of him. 149 and 221 had brought out their lower hands to drag L.E.R.O.Y. by his broken legs, while their primary hands held each other. 150 watched the warmly intertwined fingers as his heart became schizophrenic; it felt crumpled in frustration in one moment and then shriveled in repentance in the next. His plan to win over 149 had been ingenious, and yet he abhorred it for being so. Then he abhorred his allies for not leaving him alone with 221 so he might shoot him discreetly in the head. The handicapped Experiment looked beyond the eyesore hand-holding, seeing his designer being held at gunpoint for his cruelty to Experiments. He then realized that he was standing behind the gun, and felt horribly misplaced. 150 was suddenly drawn to look left, where he was unpleasantly surprised to see the icy, yellow eyes of his glob-like comrade, glaring into him with an intensity that he did not even look at Hamsterviel with. 300 glared at the metal-handed Experiment for several moments, during which 150's heart felt neither shriveled nor crumpled, but rather like a burdensome rock. After what felt like a millennium, 300 slithered to the front of the group without so much as a scoff at his tall ally, who was left blinking rapidly.

"Turn right," Hamsterviel said stolidly to the Experiment holding a gun to his back. Everyone looked right, where they found an opened door leading to a room scattered with paper, as if a tornado and run through it. At the very end of the room were dozens of screens, displaying images the Experiments were currently too far away to analyze properly.

"See? That wasn't so hard," 621 sneered as he grabbed his designer by the back of his neck and forced him into the room. As the Rebellion scanned the unkempt lab, finding that the littered papers were, in fact, blueprints for Experiments. 10's heart skipped a beat when he noticed his own blueprints. It contained three pictures; his front, his back, and his side, all in a t-shaped pose. There were notes dotted all around the paper, each pointing to a different part of his body. What sent the iciest chill up the medic's spine, though, was the disturbingly indifferent expression upon his likeness' face, like it was depicting his corpse. 10 forced his gaze away from the image, even though it was like walking against a tempest.

"Oh, Jumba?" 624 called to the air before whistling. "Come on, be a good host and come greet us!" No response; only a clicking sound. The Rebellion looking and found, pointing a blaster at them, the violet, spherical, four-eyed figure clad in a white lab coat, who they knew from a screen in their former base. Jumba's hands shook like a miniature earthquake as he tried to aim his weapon. Even if he found the valour and sense to pull the trigger, he would most likely merely graze the skin of one of his targets. Jumba's creations stared at him with a flat, unimpressed look, and then they all chuckled, save for 10. To his own surprise, 345's chuckle was the shortest and quietest of them all. Following the laughter's early conclusion, 221 shot a bolt of electricity into Jumba's weapon, triggering an explosion the size of the round scientist's hand. Jumba fell to his chubby knees, screaming and gripping the incomplete fleshy mound, leaking blood like a faucet, that was once his hand. 621, pushing Hamsterviel to the floor by his bleeding accomplice, could not help but to kick the weeping scientist cruelly onto his back. 149, 221, and 150 threw L.E.R.O.Y. and 625 next to their two fallen creators, where the electrician maliciously twisted the ankle of his only intact leg, making him harmonize with Jumba's cries.

"My friends..." The marksman turned to address his comrades, holding all four of his arms out like a cross as he smirked his most malicious and victorious smirk. "We have had many small victories and enormous defeats over the years. The weight of our challenges might be exhausting, but now we can put it down...Upon these two!" He gestured to his two creators. "These two, who would call themselves our parents, are at your disposal. Any regret, anger, depression you may feel if now _theirs _to carry!" 621 then gestured at the room around them. "_This _is our new base! _This _is just the first in a streak of glorious victories for our revolution! Remember, remember; _this _is the beginning of the end for the Galactic Federation!" His allies saluted him, all smirking just as he was, save for 345, who simply smiled with excitement, and 10, who did not smile at all. "Now then..." The marksman continued, gesturing again to his creators after returning the salutes. "Shall we begin?"

Both Hamsterviel and Jumba looked up at their creations. The larger scientist watched the smirks, scowls, cracking knuckles, sparking fingers, and hovering antennae, his heart sinking as he realized that each bloodthirsty appendage existed thanks to him. Jumba remembered as clear as day the first time he laid four eyes on each Experiment, and the first time the Experiments laid eyes on anything. He remembered 150 and 149 staring in awe and confusion at the former's fingerless left hand. He remembered 300, like an infant, struggling to walk as he unknowingly spoke Jumba's thoughts allowed. Jumba remembered 221 being like a thunderstorm the moment he awoke. The worst recollection of all, though, was that the very first thing 345 used his elastic abilities for was to wrap his arms around Jumba in a warm hug. The obese scientist shut his four soaking eyes, still gripping his gory hand, anxious for the brutal, hammering arms that had once felt so soft.

"Hey, what's in there?" The clown suddenly inquired. Everyone turned to find 345 distracted by a small door behind the two fallen scientists.

"Ah..." Hamsterviel muttered angrily and wearily.

"Ah?" 345 questioned. "What's so 'ah' about what's in here?" He approached the door curiously.

"Nnnno..." Jumba panicked through clenched teeth, grabbing 345's foot in a desperate attempt to keep him away from the door.

"_Hey!_" The clown felt a dreadful chill penetrate his spine when the sausages of fingers squished his rubbery leg. He did not feel discomfort for long, as 621 was quick to stomp on Jumba's forearm.

"_You don't touch him!_" The marksman exclaimed over his creator's cries. "_You don't touch any of us! _The only time you do is _when we hit you!_" He dug the two claws on his foot into Jumba's flesh, amplifying the deafening but satisfying cries. Jumba was only silenced when 345's arm extended to punch him in the jaw.

"Thanks, 621," The clown smiled, shaking his freed leg. 621 smirked and nodded in response.

"Hold on, now," 300 said quietly, looking intently upon the crying Jumba's head. The telepath, ignoring the beautiful screams, slowly approached his creator, as if he were trying to read some macabre message scrawled above the four eyes. "Oh..."

"Oh?" 345 questioned, tilting his head.

"What do you see, 300?" 621 inquired as he tore his reddened foot claws from Jumba's arm, nearly stumbling as he did. It took some time for the shapeshifter to reply, during which all he did was raise a glob-esque hand to his glob-esque mouth. His comrades thought they saw drops of sweat on his pale green face.

"...You should see this," 300 finally said as firmly as he could. "You should, but you should not _have _to." He approached the door, and was surprised at how quickly his allies followed. A faint sound could be heard behind the door, but nobody was certain if it was weeping or laughter. "I would apologize..." The shapeshifter began somberly. "But _he _is to blame." He nodded to Jumba, who watched with flooding eyes as the blob slid the door open. To their surprise, the room behind the door was inaccessible, but the glass barricading it was transparent. The room was more of a closet, with nothing in it aside from a creature lying on his side. He was clearly an Experiment. His ears were small, and his fur was an ominous violet, like the color of an ages, decaying corpse. He was skinny enough that, under his fur, his bones might be outlined upon his skin.

"John Wilkes Booth...Eobard Thawne..." His voice was a mumble, but undoubtedly gleeful, although a hollow glee like the creature was laughing while impaled. "Davros...Adolf Hitler..." The Experiments' eyes widened, all of a single color throughout, while the horizontal prisoner's eyes were white where they weren't pink, and each centered by a black dot of a pupil. Both eyes were tailed by a thin stream of tears. "Osama bin Laden...Sheev Palpatine..."

The Rebellion assumed that he had acknowledged their presence, and were petrified when he only stared into space and continued his list. His mouth seemed uncomfortable remaining still; it alternated inconsistently between a mad, toothy grin and an agonized grimace. Finally, his shattered eyes rolled slowly, as if they had never been moved before, to stare up at his audience. His abyssal gaze strangled each Experiment.

"You..."

The three closest to the glass; 621, 345, and 300, knelt down to look more closely at the dubious sight. The Rebellion, at first shocked, became crestfallen at their simultaneous realization. They did not need either of their creators to tell them that this was Experiment 89.


End file.
